Charmed Season Nine: The Ultimate Battle
by lordtrayus
Summary: When the Triad resurrects Prue and make her a new Source, the stage is set for the ultimate battle between good and evil. The Charmed Ones, thinking they are free, dont know what awaits them as they must go to war against one of their own one last time!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter One

A New Source

The Underworld was quiet. After the Charmed Ones had defeated Christy and the Triad, the demons had gone deep underground, avoiding drawing the Charmed Ones into a conflict, knowing that their powers were virtually untouchable now. Most of the upper level demons were dead, and the various smaller sects of demons were warring amongst themselves for power. It was ten times worse than after the Source had been destroyed.

There was a flash in the middle of the Room of Command, where the Source had once held court. The flash split into three, then from these three flashes, three spirits emerged.

Asmodeus, the foremost member of the Triad, raged.

"The Charmed Ones have escaped again! How do they keep doing this?" he demanded.

He was a powerful upper level demon, and was clothed in the black robes of the Triad. He was a bit taller than the others, with a receding hair line and large forehead.

Candor, the second member of the Triad, a man with a curly grey hair, rolled his eyes.

"Because they are more powerful than we can ever hope to be. They defeated the Source for goodness sake! And ever since the Underworld has been in chaos! They won the Ultimate Battle, escaped their fate and have further driven us into the gutter! They foiled the plan we had for fifteen years!" he stormed.

Baliel, the last of the Triad, sighed. He was a man with a goatee and a bald head.

"Let's face it. We gave it our best shot and they beat us again. And now, we're all on the run. If they wanted to, they could probably break the backbone of the Underworld altogether. How did we survive this one?" he asked musingly, as if suddenly realising that they were actually alive.

Asmodeus ignored him.

"It doesn't matter how we are alive. The thing that matters is the fact that we are. Which means we have another chance to strike against the witches, and destroy them!"

Baliel groaned.

"Give it a rest Asmodeus. We have lost. The Charmed Ones are all but invincible. And I don't think they'll fall for a trick like Christy again. We've lost. We are a spent force." He intoned.

Candor looked at Baliel, then reluctantly nodded.

"I suppose you are correct. Things haven't been this bad since the Source was last destroyed." He said, sighing.

His and Baliel's spirits headed to the centre of the room, pondering whether or not to give up. The Underworld was in chaos, their plans had failed, Billie was back with the sisters and they were the weakest they had ever been, and hence couldn't even impose order on the shattered remnants of their world.

Asmodeus's eyes then lit up.

"The Source!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Baliel demanded.

Asmodeus smiled.

"A plan has sprung to mind. One that will work." He said smugly.

Candor raised an eyebrow.

"We said that about Christy and Billie." He sniffed.

Baliel raised a ghostly hand.

"I think he has a plan. Explain brother."

Asmodeus smiled.

"We know turning other witches against them works, especially if they have an emotional connection to said witch. If Piper had had her way she'd have blown up Christy long before the other two let her. But because they cared about Billie and wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, Piper's hand was stayed, allowing our plan to work." He said, pacing in his ghost form.

"Your point?" Baliel asked.

"If we can get someone the girls trust or love, and turn them to our cause, it would break them." He said, licking his lips in relish.

Candor raised an eyebrow.

"Are you referring to the brats? We wont get near them."

Asmodeus shook his head.

"No, that stupid Elder tried that and he got fried for his trouble. No...I have a different idea. It would totally break the Charmed Ones to carry it out. However, it would be...risky to say the least."

Silence reigned for a bit.

"Go on." Baliel said.

Asmodeus clasped his hands behind his back.

"If we were to get said person, and anoint them as the Source, the very fact that someone they know and care about being the Source would throw them completely."

Candor shook his head in amazement.

"You want to recreate the Source?" he spat.

"His power would exceed ours. That would be counterproductive." Baliel said.

Asmodeus smiled.

"But we would control the Source. I admit...we would come close to death once again. But if we did so, and had them anointed as the Source, we would reside within the Source, contributing our powers to theirs. And then, once the Charmed Ones are finished, we free ourselves and destroy him, as he'd be weakened."

The other two looked at each other worriedly.

"It involves a lot of risk. And what if the Source actually does destroy us? His vanquishing might be more permanent than the sisters'." Baliel asked.

"It's a qualified risk. But we would destroy the Charmed Ones while inside the Source, having immobilised them, and then we could destroy him from within. We'd take over, just stepping into the gap." Asmodeus explained.

"Granted, that is relatively good. But no friend of the Charmed Ones would agree to that." Baliel said.

"And we cant wait fifteen years." Candor sneered.

Asmodeus smiled.

"We don't need to. If we do what I plan, we can get someone fully grown, fully empowered and ready to go."

Candor looked at Asmodeus sceptically.

"Who do you propose as the Source? We wont get close enough to any of them for it to work."

Asmodeus smiled.

"The one we will use will not be with them. All we will need is a little help from an old friend." He said, grinning wickedly.

Baliel looked at him quizzically.

"Who would it be?" he asked.

Asmodeus smiled.

"The victim of the Source's greatest victory. Prue Halliwell."

Silence met this proclamation.

"A cunning plan my brother, but she would never turn against her sisters." Candor said.

"And there is also the small hitch that she's dead." Baliel pointed out.

"Hence the need of an old friend. We need Tempus." Asmodeus said wickedly, grinning.

Baliel pondered this.

"But even if we snatched her from the jaws of death…" he said musingly.

"She still won't betray her sisters." Candor warned.

Asmodeus smiled.

"Darklighter healing will taint her, making her more susceptible to the dark powers. We then allow her to vanquish a series of demons. In conjunction with a spell that we shall use, we shall get all the dark power floating around there to go into her, and when she temporarily defeats us, we too shall join with her. The amount of darkness within her will break her with ease. And if we get the Whisarmer's help…"

Baliel rolled his eyes.

"You know he doesn't like us. And he wont risk going against the Charmed Ones." he said.

"He will in exchange for power, he's been overlooked for years. He will pour his poison into her mind, and turn her against her sisters. Especially when he tells her of how easily she was replaced by a half-sister. This will turn her against her sisters. And besides, we need a Source to resurrect the dead upper level demons. With a new Source, we can rebuild the Underworld from the bottom up, and she would be the strongest one ever, and all would serve her. She would obliterate the Charmed Ones, then we would rip her apart from within." Asmodeus concluded.

The Triad looked at each other. Baliel looked thoughtful, and Candor looked concerned.

"We would need a lot of power to resurrect Tempus. And we will need to win over the Infernal Council for this scheme, and try to find a Dark Priest as well. And get the keys to the vault containing Grimoire." Baliel reasoned.

"We can get that power easily by returning to our bodies." Candor said thoughtfully.

"Which we shall need the Alchemist for. He's the only one who could do it without waiting to regenerate." Asmodeus said.

"But there's still the problem of the Dark Priest. Even if we return and resurrect Tempus and get Grimoire, we still wont be able to anoint Prue as the Source without a priest." Baliel grumbled.

"And as the Seer was the last one we had before she got herself blown up, we're stuck. Unless we make the Whisarmer one, but that gives him a lot of power in the plan, and may make him harder to get rid of later." Candor growled.

"True." Asmodeus reasoned, then smiled in realisation.

"Barbas is a Dark Priest. Or at least we can make him one when we return to our bodies. He can then perform the ceremony, and Prue will become the Source, and lead the Underworld to victory over the Charmed Ones!"

They all looked at each other.

"The plan has merit. It will be very risky, but it will work. Come, let us visit the Alchemist."

With that the three spirits vanished.

XX

The Alchemist was a powerful demon, but not strong enough to make any significant advances to take over the Underworld, much as the Whisarmer was. He was useful, as he could heal ailments or injuries of demons, so none went after him, and if they did they did so rarely. He was a crooked and bent man, with the beak of an eagle and villainous reptilian eyes. He turned to see three glowing white balls erupt behind him, revealing the spirit forms of the Triad.

"My lords." he croaked, bowing.

"Alchemist. We require your help." Baliel said.

"We have a plan to destroy the Charmed Ones once and for all." Asmodeus said.

"But we cannot put it into effect until we have a body." Candor admitted.

The Alchemist nodded.

"I see. A noble goal. Let us hope it works better than the last attempts to destroy them. But what will I get in return?" he demanded.

Asmodeus grimaced. They knew he wouldn't work for free.

"When we defeat the Charmed Ones, we shall give you all the potion recipes within the Book of Shadows to play with until your heart is content." Baliel said.

"Not good enough." The Alchemist said, turning away.

"And we shall get you a position on the Infernal Council as well." Asmodeus said.

The Alchemist smiled.

"Then we have a bargain." he said, his eyes flashing red.

XX

The potion he brewed was ready several days later. Their spirits had been floating around behind him all that time, making sure everything was right. With the promise of a position on the Infernal Council and a leading role in the scheme, he had been quite lenient and had forsaken all his other work in order to complete their task.

"There my lords. Now…" he said, and threw three vials of the potion.

There was a flash, and the three ghostly spirits became flesh and blood once more.

"Thank you Alchemist. We shall inform the Infernal Council of their new member." Asmodeus said, inclining his head, before they shimmered away.

XX

Back in the Room of Command, the reconstituted Triad gathered around the pentagram on the floor.

"We need Barbas. Once we make him the Dark Priest that we need, we can then resurrect Tempus." Asmodeus said as the three raised their hands to hold them over the centre of the pentagram.

"We better hope Barbas appears quickly or we wont have enough strength to summon Tempus. Then, we shall need to go to the Damned Council and get them into position and find the Infernal Council and enough high level demons to inaugurate the new Source. If it works." Candor grumbled.

Asmodeus rolled his eyes at his brothers scepticism and they began the chant.

"_Oh Demon of Fear, we summon thee,_

_Across the bounds of eternity,_

_Cross these lands and enter our lair_

_So that our enemies shall know despair_"

The power erupted from their hands, creating a bright flash. There was then a shimmering and Barbas appeared before them. He was a plain looking man, with long grey hair and looked quite unassuming. However, he was one of the strongest demons.

"The Triad. I thought you'd been wiped out." Barbas said, nodding in greeting.

"Welcome Barbas. We require your assistance." Candor said.

"Really? And what would the Triad want with little old me?" he asked, scratching his ear.

Asmodeus smiled evilly.

"Your powers as a Dark Priest. We intend to create a new Source who will destroy the Charmed Ones." He said.

Barbas raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Wont you lose power that way, as your brothers fear?" he asked silkily.

Asmodeus rolled his eyes.

"No. We shall control the Source. But we need you to anoint them."

Barbas surveyed his nails.

"I don't know. I don't see what's in it for me."

Baliel smiled.

"Most likely a lot of fear from the Charmed Ones."

Barbas shrugged.

"I don't see how. They know how to vanquish the Source, as they've proved." He reasoned.

"Not this time. As we intend to resurrect Prue Halliwell and make her into the Source." Asmodeus said maliciously.

Barbas stared at them in amazement. Then, he began to laugh.

"Hahahaha! That will be precious! Right, you have a deal! Done!" he said.

Asmodeus smiled and shimmied him out of the centre of the pentagram. He nodded and they raised arms again.

"_Demons of gone life,_

_We come to you in our strife,_

_The Demon Tempus we need,_

_To accomplish our most wicked deed!_"

Their power streamed from them, creating a glowing energy ball in the middle of the pentagram which shot down. A hole opened and a jet of flame erupted, and out of the column came Tempus, an old man with a sour expression. The Triad broke off the spell and he bowed before them.

"My lords, I owe you thanks." He said.

The Triad smiled.

"If you do as we wish my friend, you need not owe us anything." Asmodeus promised.

XX

The Whisarmer was an upper level demon shrouded in a cloak. All that could be seen of him was a long forked tongue and two slit like yellow eyes. He was powerful, but had never gone after the Charmed Ones, fearing his death at their hands if he did so. His power was to make people believe whatever he whispered to them.

Asmodeus appeared right in front of the Whisarmer.

"Lord Asmodeus. How can I serve?" the Whisarmer asked.

Asmodeus grinned.

"We require your help..." he said.

XX

The Triad. Tempus, Barbas, the Infernal Council and the Damned Council, along with the leader of all the Darklighters, Kane.

The Damned Council were the last resort, the ones who took over in the light of the Infernal Council being destroyed. It was made up of a Brute Demon, a Chameleon Demon, a Lazarus Demon, a Possessor Demon, a Rat Demon and a Thorn Demon. And it was they who were going to be sacrificed to Prue so she could gain their powers.

"All is in readiness. When Tempus acts, I shall heal her, tainting her. We then let her vanished the Damned, and you three and Tempus..." Kane said, before breaking off with a look from Candor as Tempus was approaching him.

Kane made a look of apology before continuing.

"Then, the Whisarmer will break her resistance and she will collapse. Barbas will then crown her as the new Source and we shall begin." Kane said.

He was a man with wild spiky black hair, a goatee and hard, cold eyes.

"This had better work." The leader of the Infernal Council said.

"It will." Asmodeus soothed, and nodded to the other Triad members, and they raised their hands.

"_Swirling powers, we command you, _

_Leave not this room and seek she_

_Who the most power wields_

_In light and darkness_."

The spell rippled across the room, effectively sealing them in.

Barbas grinned.

"All the delicious fear in here. They all fear that they may die." He said, closing his eyes in enjoyment.

"They are right to fear. Get Grimoire. Our time is now." Asmodeus said.

Barbas picked up the black book, and nodded as the Damned Council formed a circle around Tempus. The Infernal Council hid behind them, and the room was then filled with low level demons and Darklighters. Kane took his position near Tempus, and the Triad watched, while Barbas hung back.

They nodded to Tempus. It was time.

Tempus opened a portal. Within the portal, they saw the blue demon Shax, the Source's assassin, burst into the home of the Halliwells. Prue shoved their charge out of the way, and Shax then hit her with an energy ball, that threw her up through the wall and sent her crashing through it, landing heavily on the other side. Shax then dealt with Piper, before leaving. Tempus then stuck his hand through the portal, grabbed hold of Prue and dragged her through.

Prue's body lay on the floor of the underworld, and there was a white ripple as the timeline adjusted.

"That...wasn't easy." Tempus panted, looking weak.

Asmodeus nodded at Kane, who bent down and used his powers to heal Prue. He smiled as he watched darkness enter her, knowing that the process had begun. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw the Darklighter above her. She gasped, and hit him with her powers, sending him flying across the room. Prue leapt to her feet, terrified.

"How did all this happen?" she demanded, cowering as the Damned Council advanced.

The Triad then stepped into her view.

"Because we willed it." They said together, and fired three fireballs.

Prue shrieked in alarm and sent the attacks into two members of the Damned Council. Tempus and Kane stepped back as the Damned Council attacked as well. Fireballs hurtled at Prue, and she wildly deflected them, catching another two members of the Damned Council. Prue then deflected the last two attacks, and destroyed the last of the Damned Council. As their screams faded, Prue edged back towards the wall.

"Piper! Phoebe!" she called, panicking as the demons all came at her.

Asmodeus smiled as he saw the dark cloud of powers waiting at the top of the cavern. All was going according to plan.

Two Darklighters moved to attack, but Prue deflected their arrows into them, destroying them too. She started to pant heavily as the demons pressed in on her. Then, she spotted Tempus.

"You!" she cried in amazement.

Tempus looked at her, then at the Triad in alarm.

"_Winds of time, gather'round_

_give me wings to speed my way._

_Rush me on my journey forward_

_let tomorrow be today_!" Prue chanted.

Tempus screamed in pain, as he realised the Triad had used him. He burst into flames and disappeared, bringing a stop to the demons. Barbas watched excitedly as the Triad went forwards.

"Cant any of you kill her? It's perfectly simple!" Baliel yelled, and the three fired energy balls.

Prue then deflected them back, and as planned, the Triad screamed and burst into flames. Their dark essences joined the others, and they swirled before diving back down and flashing into Prue. Prue staggered, and the attacks stopped.

"Now!" Barbas ordered.

The Whisarmer shimmered to her side.

"Your sisters have abandoned you. They have left you for dead. They dont care about you. You are dead to them." He said in his low, soft voice.

Prue shook her head, trying to fight the darkness inside her, and fight off his poisoned words.

"They replaced you as if you were nothing to them. They dont love you. They went on enjoying their lives without you." He continued.

Prue staggered as the dark powers struggled to enter her being.

"No...they wouldn't." She protested, her resistance fading fast.

"Really? Phoebe was glad that you had died. She was free of your nagging. Piper was able to live her life her own way without you interfering. And Paige was more than willing to replace you as if you hadn't existed." The Whisarmer continued, sensing victory.

The Infernal Council was eagerly anticipating the breaking of the Charmed One, as were the Darklighters, remaining demons and Barbas, who was savouring her fear that she wasn't loved.

"You aren't loved. Your life is meaningless. You sacrificed your childhood and your lover for your family, and this is how they repay you?" he asked and she broke.

Prue let out a scream of rage, and the darkness flowed into her soul, her heart and her mind.

"Welcome my lady." The Whisarmer said, bowing.

Barbas smiled as he beheld Prue in an entirely new light. Clad in a black leather jacket and black clothes, with long black hair to her shoulders, a woman of medium build, he had a good feeling about her now. Prue was now infected with darkness, and once she was crowned as the Source, she would be totally corrupted and their greatest leader ever.

Prue inspected herself, breathing heavily. She could feel the new power running through her veins, and she could also feel a burning desire for revenge against the Charmed Ones. Her sisters had abandoned her, left her to die and had then replaced her as well and had gone on with their lives. She could remember the fight with Shax, and assumed she had been rescued by the demons who were trying to liberate her from her family's evil. Very well. She would destroy that evil.

"My lady..." Barbas said, holding Grimoire before her.

Prue smiled.

"I shall become a new Source. And then I will destroy the Charmed Ones." She vowed, to cheers from the demons assembled.

She then placed her hand on the book, and Barbas began the ritual.

"_His verbis invocamus_

_potentias tremendas_

_fontis ipsius_

_In hac hora descendat malum_

_Et coronam imponat_

_super virum electum_!"

Prue looked up at Barbas as he finished the ritual. He smiled, and there was suddenly a great howling. Black spores of magic travelled from all over, gathering in a large ball that hung above Prue's head. Prue smiled and opened her arms welcomingly. The power then flashed inside her, and her eyes flashed black, before returning to blue.

"My lady." Barbas said, bowing.

The rest of those gathered, including the Darklighter she had thrown across the room, all got to their knees before her.

"Thank you. Now, give me Grimoir please Barbas. I have a lot of work to do. First, I shall resurrect our defeated allies. And then..." she smiled evilly.

"Then mistress?" The Alchemist, clad in his Infernal Council robe, asked.

"Then I shall destroy the Charmed Ones." She vowed.

**Greetings to you all!**

**I thought I'd have a go at a Charmed story, especially after watching it on Living all last week.**

**The Triad is still not totally dead, despite being blown up again by the Charmed Ones at the end of season eight, and this time they have come up with a most insidious plan: make Prue the new Source!**

**Will this evil plan succeed? Will Prue destroy the Charmed Ones as the Source? Time will tell!**

**Please read and review, and I will hopefully update soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Two

Ghosts of Enemies Past

Sandra frowned.

"How can they be reforming? The Charmed Ones fought the Ultimate Battle and won. So what are the demons up to?" she asked, peering down at the Underworld from the heavens and finding an air of bustle as demons ran around, carrying out orders.

Odin looked at her disdainfully. Unlike Sandra, he wasn't fond of the Charmed Ones, and considered them unpredictable, uppity and interfering with the matters of the Elders.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they have gotten it wrong and spared Christy. It wouldn't be the first time they have been meant to get rid of something and not done it." He sneered.

Kevin, the young lad who had become an Elder by chance, rolled his eyes.

"Leave them alone Odin. You're just sore because Piper and Leo made it work when the witch you liked blew you back up here with your tail between your legs." He teased.

The youngest of the group, he certainly got on Odin's nerves. But as Odin was so insufferable anyway that it suited the other Elders to let Kevin get on with winding the pompous fool up.

"Silence! I will not be..." Odin grumbled, before breaking off at a look from Jonas.

"Hush Odin. Sandra is correct. We must ascertain what is going on downstairs." He said in his deep voice.

Thandor, an ancient old man, crooked and bent, harrumphed.

"Yes, we must. But that will involve finding out if the Ultimate Battle has indeed been fought." He wheezed.

"Of course it has. We saw that it has." Odin protested.

"You need to think outside of the box though Odin. Something isn't right, I agree with that." Cresta, the other female Elder said.

"Yes. I know I'm in the minority but I'm thinking that the Ultimate Battle was rather...anticlimactic." Aramis, an eccentric old man said.

Sandra nodded reluctantly.

"If we got it wrong and evil is now reforming for a big fight, we must investigate." Aldair, a middle aged looking Elder said.

Kevin snorted.

"Oh that will go down really well. I'll get blown up if I tell Piper she might have to fight again. She blew me up when I went down to ask if she had any herbs." He grumbled.

Since the Charmed Ones had defeated Christy, Kevin had been the one who had seen most of them, as Piper was teaching him how to cook after he had nearly killed the Elders by forgetting to cook the chicken when he had made the dinner (a remarkable feat considering they were already dead).

"Let's not raise any alarms until we're sure." Sandra counselled.

"Sandra is right. Patience is needed while we evaluate this threat." Jonas said.

Kevin looked down at where Piper was dealing with details for the opening of her restaurant. She wouldn't like this one bit.

XX

Phoebe sat down grumpily. Her pregnancy was in its seventh month, and she had been given more time off by Elise after her boss had had to pull her out of her chair when she got stuck.

"Will you relax?" Coop whispered soothingly into her ear.

Phoebe glared at her husband.

"It's you who did this to me. If you ever do it again, I'll write a spell to vanquish you." She grumbled.

Coop rolled his eyes. Phoebe wanted children more than anything, but didn't want to have to go through the downsides of pregnancy.

"Tough. You have to do this bit. I'm off to make some people happy. Have fun." He said, kissing her cheek.

"What, sitting here doing nothing?" Phoebe asked as he vanished.

Phoebe patted her stomach lovingly. Soon she would have a beautiful baby girl. She was sure of it.

XX

Paige orbed in. The Darklighter was just raising his crossbow at her cowering charge.

"Now you don't want to do that." She said.

The Darklighter sneered at her and fired an arrow at her charge.

"Arrow!" she cried.

The arrow shimmered blue, and reversed into the Darklighter, who gave a scream and vanished.

"Thank you." Her charge said.

"You're welcome." Paige said and orbed out before she could be asked anything else.

She orbed into Henry's closet at the police station and then stepped out, making him jump.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." He complained as she kissed him.

"You love it really." She said, then sat on his desk.

Henry leaned back in his chair.

"So what will you do if someone comes in and finds you here having not been checked in?" he asked.

Paige grinned.

"Aww, live dangerously." She said, kissing his forehead.

Henry grinned.

"Being married to you is dangerous enough. What've you done with your day? Found a job yet?" he asked.

The two of them needed a job before they could have children, which they had agreed on a few months before.

"No, but I did crisp a Darklighter. I'm hitting the classifieds this afternoon." She said, as a knock came at the door.

Henry opened his mouth to say something but she kissed him then orbed out.

Henry shook his head.

"I hate it when she does that." He complained.

XX

Piper put a bit more basil into the sauce she was making. She had still to decide on a name and a complete menu for the restaurant that she was opening in a month. She stuck in some more garlic as Wyatt came toddling in, followed by a crawling Chris.

"Hey sweetie, where's your daddy? Has he gone to the loo and left you all alone?" she asked, looking at her sons.

Wyatt nodded, and Piper smiled.

"Well mummy is nearly done, so why don't you go into the living room and I'll be there in a second and we can play with your train set?" she asked, and Chris nodded eagerly and crawled off, his brother following in his wake.

Piper was just getting some parmesan when there was a crash in the living room. Concerned, especially when she heard Wyatt and Chris start to cry, she dashed through to find two Tracer demons.

"Whoa boy! Demons!" she cried in shock, then blasted the first one apart.

The Tracer demon closest to Chris made a grab for him, but Piper blew him apart too, and ash settled onto the floor. Confident the two were dead she dashed over to her sons and held them to her just as Leo came galloping down the stairs.

"What happened?" he demanded, taking Wyatt from her and rocking him.

Chris continued to cry as Piper swayed him from side to side.

"Two Tracer Demons tried to nab them! I thought all this was over!" she shouted as the boys started to quieten down.

Leo sighed.

"Just because we won the Ultimate Battle doesn't mean the Underworld is going to go into retirement honey. They were probably just trying to make a name for themselves." Leo soothed.

Piper sniffed.

"Well they can do it on someone else's time. If my sauce had boiled over I'm going to resurrect them and blow them up again." She growled and took Chris with her into the kitchen.

Leo grinned at the strain his wife was under over her restaurant and followed. She was busily stirring her pot.

"Look honey, don't worry. It was an isolated incident." He said as he took Chris from her.

"It had better be." Piper said.

"I'm back!" Billie shouted from the front door as she entered the manor.

Since killing her own sister, Billie had been accepted back into the Halliwell's lives following her unintentional betrayal. She had been helping Piper get ready for the restaurant's opening while attending to both her normal and magical studies.

"In here!" Leo called.

Billie came in, laden with groceries for Piper, and a couple of bags of magical goods that they were running low on.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking rattled.

"We just had a demon attack. It's ok, Piper blew them up." Leo soothed.

Billie looked concerned as Piper emptied the bags.

"What?" she asked, looking worried.

"Well, when I was at the Magical Market I heard two demons talking about some new head honcho downstairs. A new Source or something."

Leo nearly dropped Chris and Wyatt and Piper dropped the bag she was holding onto her foot, making her yelp in pain.

"What?" she demanded, rubbing her toe furiously.

Billie looked at them in shock.

"What? I just said someone said there was a Source demon. Surely that isn't bad?" she asked.

Leo shook his head.

"No Billie. If demons are talking about a Source, it means a Source of All Evil." He said grimly.

Piper looked gloatingly at Leo.

"See, I told you there was something up!" she said smugly.

Leo rolled his eyes.

"So a Source is a bad thing?" she asked.

Piper's lip curled.

"Yeah. It's the Source that sent Shax to kill Prue and nearly turned Phoebe evil." She said.

Billie looked sheepish.

"Sorry." She said meekly.

Piper shook her head.

"It's not your fault. Are you sure they said the Source?" Piper demanded.

Billie nodded.

"Yeah. They were talking about a Source of something anyway."

Piper turned the gas out under her sauce and headed for the stairs. Leo sighed, and handed the boys to Billie as he went after his wife.

"Piper, it's probably just some other pretender." He called as she dashed up the stairs.

"Leo, if there's a new Source, pretender or not, I want him vanquished before he can do anything!" she called as she headed for the attic.

Leo reached her just as she opened the Book of Shadows. He took her in his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder as she flicked through the pages.

"It'll just be another upstart." He consoled.

Piper nodded.

"I know. But, even if it, I still want him fried. Ok? Now go and help Billie put the stuff away." She said.

Leo sighed.

"Nothing I can say will make you change your mind about being nosey will it?" he asked in a bored voice.

"Nope. Go on, go play with the train set." She said.

"It's the boys train set." Leo said.

Piper grinned.

"Phooey. We both know you like it as much as you do. Now go on, clear off. And when you've got the stuff away, send Billie up so she can look around in here." She said.

Leo nodded exasperatedly and went down the stairs.

Piper then found the spell she was looking for, one Phoebe had written just after the Ultimate Battle as a failsafe.

"_Unseen shadows pass across the sun_

_Whose evil will is yet to be done_

_Reveal to me mine enemy_

_And let me prepare to undo their villainy_."

White glowing orbs appeared before her and flashed into life as images of those she faced.

The first she recognised with no trouble.

"Barbas!? Oh come on, you gotta be kidding me." She complained as she observed the Demon of Fear.

Next was a tall, brooding bearded man, who Piper knew shouldn't be able to come back.

"Zankou!? But we vanquished him!" she protested.

Next was a dark, petite woman.

"The Seer?" Piper asked.

The image changed again to a long haired, pale blue demon.

"SHAX!?" Piper yelped as she viewed her sister's killer.

Perhaps it was the shock of seeing her sister's killer, she didn't know. But the image she saw next totally threw her, as Prue appeared before her.

"Stupid spell." She moaned, thinking it was showing her past enemies.

And she left the attic, as the spell flickered out of existence, leaving a ghostly after image of Prue.

XX

"They failed." The Seer said sardonically.

Prue, who was standing with her back to the rest of the room, nodded.

"Yes I know. They were meant to."

Hecate raised a ridged eyebrow.

"Really? Then what was the point in sending them after the children?" she asked.

Prue smiled.

"To see who I would send after them. And now I've decided. Barbas, you will use your powers on each of them. Kane, you will pursue Paige. Seer, deal with Phoebe. And Shax...pay a visit to my other sister. And when you do that...I will take the children. And then I will destroy the Charmed Ones." Prue said, her usually green eyes flashing black.

**Prue has begun her rise to power!**

**And old enemies have returned: Hecate, Zankou, and even Shax and the Seer! There are plenty more who have been revived by Prue's dark powers trust me.**

**Next time, evil gains back some ground at long last and the Source starts to come into her own!**

**Until then please read and review! (And sorry for the shortness of the chapter)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Three

Comeback

Prue sat on her throne, looking at the roomful of demons. Barbas, Shax, The Seer, Zankou, Hecate, Grimlocks, Sirk, Andras, Abraxas, The Crone, The Whisarmer, The Alchemist, The Necromancer, Sykes and Xar were but a few of the demons she had used Grimoire to resurrect. They all served her will, and were all as eager as she was to get revenge against the Charmed Ones.

"You know the plan. First Barbas will attack my sisters and weaken them with their fears. While they are weakened, Kane, you will move in and attack Paige. Shax, you will head after Piper and Seer, you will go for Phoebe. When you have all weakened my sisters and have gained access to the manor, you will weaken the boundaries so that I may enter. The manor should still admit me but I don't want to risk it. When I enter, I will take the boys for the Underworld." She said.

Zankou, unable to turn against her because she was the one who had resurrected him, stepped forward.

"My queen, it seems to me that without the children, the Charmed Ones will be vulnerable. Why don't we destroy them straight away?"

Prue rolled her eyes.

"For the simple reason that to ensure total victory we need to weaken all the magical beings in order for us to dominate. But I'd rather deal with some of the nastier ones first, so's to give us more fun later on." She explained patiently.

Hecate shook her head.

"The Charmed Ones need to be punished! I say we kill them straight away!" she said, to a few shouts of approval.

Prue rolled her eyes, then blasted Hecate with her power. Hecate flew across the room and slammed into the wall. Prue then projected herself to the other side of the room and blasted Hecate back before returning to her body. She looked down to see Hecate cursing at her feet.

"Listen to me Hecate. I didn't have to free you from that dagger. I could have left you there. But I was merciful. Dont make me regret it. We shall do things as I say." She sneered.

Hecate gave her a hateful look before falling back into place.

Prue turned to Barbas.

"Get on with it. As soon as they are weakened, report to me." She commanded.

Barbas smiled and blinked out, and Prue awaited his return eagerly.

XX

Piper was in the attic, looking frantically for her keys, which Wyatt had orbed somewhere.

"Wyatt honey, mummy really needs her keys!" she cried.

"They're down in the grandfather clock." A familiar voice said, and Piper turned to see Grams' spirit forming before her.

"Grams! Thanks, but what are you doing here?" Piper asked.

Grams looked bad. Which, considering she was already a ghost was quite considerable.

"Something has happened. There was a massive wrenching as the timeline had to fix itself for some reason. Something has gone wrong and totally skewed everything up my darling." She warned.

Piper sighed.

"Apparently there might be a new Source running around. That could have something to do with it." She said

Grams nodded.

"Be careful Piper. Something isn't right and has knocked everything out of sync." Grams warned.

Piper nodded grimly.

"Thanks Grams. Right, I really have to go." Piper said and dashed out of the attic.

"Be safe my darlings." Grams said before vanishing.

XX

Phoebe stood with Wyatt and Chris as Piper grabbed her keys.

"Right, look after your aunt Phoebe okay?" Piper asked as she kissed everyone goodbye.

"They'll be fine don't worry." Phoebe said soothingly.

Piper smiled and kissed her cheek and went with Leo to the car.

"Oh by the way, Grams says something's gone wacko! Can you look it up in the book?" she called back.

Phoebe nodded, and they all waved as she drove off. She had been conned into babysitting the boys while Piper and Leo dealt with things at the restaurant because she was pregnant and unable to do much anyway. So she had been volunteered by Coop to watch the boys because of the demon attack the day before. She had to remember to hate him when he got back from creating love somewhere.

"What do you say to playing with your train set?" Phoebe asked her two nephews.

Wyatt nodded and started to toddle through to the living room while Chris took a few tentative steps before giving it up as a bad job and crawling through. Phoebe smiled fondly as she followed her two nephews into the living room. Fortunately they were still too young to have much of a rivalry and she only hoped that Piper could prevent Chris from growing up to become the neurotic Whitelighter with an inferiority complex that had visited from the future, and that she could stop Wyatt turning evil.

She sat down and turned on the telly while the boys played. She was so bored of daytime television she thought she might crack up. Then, she heard a voice whisper in her ear.

"Phoebe."

Phoebe sat upright and looked around, startled. She knew that voice. She'd thought it gone from the time of its final vanquish a few years before.

"Cole?" she asked, hardly believing it.

Cole Turner had actually been the demon Belthezor, and had tried hard to kill the Charmed Ones before being freed by his love for Phoebe. He had then become the Source and an Avatar before finally being vanquished in an alternate reality and getting stuck between worlds.

"Yes Phoebe. Dont worry, you aren't hallucinating."

Phoebe couldn't believe it.

"Cole, what do you want? What gives you the right...?" she began.

"Phoebe, this has nothing to do with us. Now, I don't have much time, so will you please listen?" he asked her.

Phoebe sighed, not noticing that Wyatt and Chris were looking at her in confusion.

"What is it?" she sighed.

Cole took a deep breath.

"Something has happened. A few days ago something massive totally messed up the boundaries between worlds. It might have been enough to shift everything off balance." Cole said gravely.

Phoebe frowned slightly.

"Grams said much the same thing to Piper. It really must be serious. There's rumours of a new Source." She said, smiling now that the boys were racing their trains around the track.

Cole hissed.

"That could be it. Any ideas?"

"Not yet. Look Cole...it took me ages to get over you. So please...dont mess me up again." She pleaded quietly.

"Dont worry Phoebe I wont. I just felt that I should give the three of you a heads up, especially seeing as you're pregnant." He said.

Phoebe gave a small sigh.

"I appreciate it Cole, really. Thank you." She said.

Cole made a noise and was gone.

So they were getting warnings from alternate worlds and from the dead. Something was seriously up.

XX

Barbas flashed into existence, invisible to the two children playing and to Phoebe. He had to weaken her, make her fearful. Then the Seer could do her bit. He passed his hand over Phoebe's head, and discerned her fear.

"Ah you fear losing the baby in your womb. We can make use of that." He whispered gleefully.

XX

Phoebe watched the boys play, and her eyes strayed to the group of vanquishing potions that were beside her. All this talk of a great wrenching was making her feel jumpy. As such when something smashed in the kitchen, she leapt off the chair, then regretted it as the baby kicked her.

"Sorry baby. Mummy got a fright." She cooed.

Then a dreadful thought dawned on her. She remembered the various demons trying to take Wyatt from Piper, before he was born and after. Would that happen with her too?

She looked at her nephews, and smiled with satisfaction when she was that Wyatt had already generated his shield. Grabbing a couple of potions she slowly edged through to the kitchen, fearful that she was putting her baby in danger, to see two albino like Parasite demons staring at her in shock.

"The witch!" one gasped.

Phoebe levitated herself up and kicked both of them in the chin, knocking them backwards. She then threw the potions, and to her great surprise they burst into flame.

"Hey it worked." She said impressed with herself., patting her belly, relieved that nothing had happened.

She then heard crying from the living room and spun.

"Wyatt, Chris..." she said and ran through to find a demon standing right behind the boys, kept at bay by their shield.

Phoebe looked at the demon in shock, considering she'd been vanquished five years ago. It was the Seer. A dark woman with black hair styled high and clad in a red robe she had served the Source before trying to take control of the throne for herself.

"Hello Phoebe." She said, and fired an energy ball.

Phoebe couldn't move in time, weighed down by the extra weight. The ball hit her in the chest, threw her across the room, through the banister on the stairs and against the wall, where she slid down, unconscious. The Seer smiled.

"That went well." She said, before looking at the two screaming children.

"Dont worry little ones, I'm not here for you." She said evilly, and headed to the door and opened it in preparation for the Source's arrival.

She then raised her hand and began to undo the powerful spells placed on the manor for protection against someone as powerful as the Source.

XX

Barbas shimmered behind Paige as she healed a charge who'd shocked herself. He raised his hand to discern her fear.

"Ah you fear losing a charge. I'm sure Kane can accommodate that." He said, and vanished.

XX

Paige smiled at her charge, a young witch named Katie.

"Thank you Paige. That hurt." She moaned.

Paige rolled her eyes.

"Well just make sure you don't go up against a Shocker Demon before you're ready." Paige said.

There was a black flash behind her and Paige spun.

"Paige!" Katie cried, firing a stream of orange stars from her fingers.

The Darklighter, a man with spiky black hair and a goatee and clad in a black suit, who had emerged grinned as the spell bounced off him. He fired an arrow at her.

"Arrow!" Paige yelled.

Kane smiled and orbed away, before appearing behind Paige. He raised his crossbow at her, and she orbed out of the way, giving him the opening he needed to shoot another arrow into Katie, who fell to the floor. Paige orbed back, right into the path of an arrow fired by Kane. Paige looked down at the arrow, gasping, before she collapsed to the ground.

"Excellent." He sneered, and left her bleeding as he orbed out.

XX

He orbed beside the Seer, who raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Paige has been neutralised." He said, and joined her in lowering the barriers, grinning as he did so.

XX

Henry frowned as he got to the door. He knew this girl was a charge of Paige's but a neighbour had heard a disturbance and thinking it was a local thug, Henry had been asked to check it out.

"Hello?" he asked, rapping on the door.

There was no answer other than a low groaning. Concerned, Henry fired a bullet into the lock and the door swung open, to reveal both Paige's charge, already dead and Paige lying on the floor, bleeding and soon to join her charge.

"PAIGE!" he cried in shock, throwing himself to his knees and lifting her head.

"H-henry?" she asked weakly, trying to raise her head.

"It's alright honey, I'm going to save you." He panted, placing her head in his lap and trying to stem the blood loss from the arrow wound.

"Need...Kevin..." Paige gasped

"Who?" Henry asked urgently, aware that her blood was soaking the floor and that her charge was already dead, and feared she would soon join her.

"Kevin..." she said, her breathing getting weaker.

Henry looked at his dying wife. He had to do something, but as she had an arrow in her, he couldnt take her to hospital. He assumed she had been attacked by a Darklighter, who he knew were always trying to kill Whitelighters. Unless Kevin was the kid she called on when she needed help. It was worth a try to save her.

"Kevin?" he called up towards the heavens.

There was a blue shimmering like Paige always did, and the kid arrived, looking concerned.

"Who are you?" he asked, confused.

"Help Paige!" he yelled angrily.

Kevin saw her and his eyes widened in shock. He fell to his knees, placed his hands above her and started to heal the wound.

"Remove the arrow." He said.

Henry yanked the arrow out and Kevin's magic finished, and Paige's eyes fluttered open.

"Henry?" she asked weakly.

Henry bent down and kissed her deeply.

"Dont you dare let that happen again." He growled as he helped her sit up.

Paige shook her head, then saw Katie, who Kevin just shook his head at.

"No..." Paige moaned, and Henry held her to him, stroking her hair consolingly.

"It's not your fault." He whispered, hugging her to him.

"Yes it is. She was my charge, and I never protected her." She whimpered.

Henry rocked her consolingly while Kevin closed Katie's eyes.

"Who did this Paige?" he asked desperately, dreading the prospect of telling Odin that Paige had failed to keep one of her charge's alive.

"A man with spiky hair and a goatee in a suit." Paige said, her voice returning to normal.

"Your lot or mine?" Henry asked the kid.

Kevin took a step back.

"That was no ordinary Darklighter. That was Kane." Kevin said weakly.

"Who's Kane?" Paige asked.

"What Jonas is to us, he is to Darklighters. He's the highest up Darklighter there is, and has all their delightful powers. You were lucky to survive. But if he's come forward..." he said, then orbed back upstairs.

"What was that about?" Henry asked, confused.

"Something bad is happening. Come on. I need to get back to the manor. Call Piper and tell her something is wrong. Then...you can give me the ride in the cop car you always promised me." Paige said, smiling.

Henry rolled his eyes. Paige was worried and something was happening, something witchy. Whatever it was it couldn't be good.

XX

"A little higher, and to the left." Piper said as Leo hung a picture on the wall of her still unnamed restaurant.

Leo did so, and after receiving a nod from Piper, marked the point and went to find a hook.

"So, decoration is done so all we need is a name and the menus to be done." Piper said.

Leo looked at her.

"You still don't have a name?" he asked.

Piper sighed.

"No. I've been thinking up names but I cant seem to get one. Do I risk going with something 'Charmed', or something to do with the 'Triquertra' or something to do with P3 or what?" she asked.

Leo smiled.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." He said.

Piper was about to speak when her phone rang.

"Hello." She said.

"Piper, it's Henry. Paige was attacked."

Worry immediately clamped her heart.

"Is she alright?" she demanded urgently.

"Yeah, she's fine, some Elder guy healed her. Look, we're going to the manor, she thinks something big is going down. Meet us there?"

Piper nodded.

"Sure, I'll leave Leo in charge here, I'll be there soon." She said.

"What's up?" Leo asked anxiously.

"Paige was attacked by someone and thinks we're all in danger. I'm meeting her at home. Stay here!" Piper said and ran out of the restaurant.

XX

Paige took the phone from Henry as he screeched the car around the corner.

"Come on Phoebe pick up." Paige pleaded.

However she received no answer from the house phone or her mobile, and she was getting more and more worried as Henry drove them towards the manor.

"Something is seriously wrong." Paige moaned.

Henry patted her knee while he drove into a busy road.

"Dont worry love, we'll save them." He said.

Paige looked at him uncertainly, and mused that he was definitely becoming part of the family...always assuming the worst was happening.

XX

Barbas flashed into existence behind Piper as she ran from her restaurant.

"And what do you fear?" he asked.

And then he smiled.

"Losing another sister? I'm sure Shax will be more than adequate to reawaken that fear." He said, before vanishing.

XX

Piper drove down the road, very worried that Phoebe wasn't answering either phone. She had a terrible feeling that something was wrong. Wyatt and Chris and Phoebe could all be in mortal peril, and she was powerless to stop it. She hurtled down the next street, and entered the home strait. She then saw something she had thought gone six years before.

A shimmering tornado was hurtling towards her. Dread gripped Piper's heart, and an old wound burst open. She knew that the oncoming tornado was supernatural, and she knew what was inside it as well. Fear and the pain of loss came flooding back, reliving the terrible moment in 2001 when Leo had told her that Prue was dead. And now, somehow, her killer had returned from the dead.

Piper screeched to a stop and scrambled out of the car, before running down an alleyway. It was vanquishing him in public that had lost Prue in the first place. She glared up the alley as the tornado came to a stop, revealing the demon that had haunted her nightmares for years.

Shax. A pale grey, going on electric blue demon, with long gray hair and a wide open robe, he was the original Source's hitman and had killed her sister.

"You!" Piper spat, her voice full of rage.

Shax said nothing, but grinned in delight at seeing her. He then fired an energy ball at her. Piper yelped and froze it, before retaliating with a blast. Shax groaned in discomfort as he tottered back, but he regained his balance and sent a blast out that Piper barely avoided. She blasted him again, and he just let out a deep, gloating laugh.

Rage coursed through Piper, along with hatred and she started blasting everything she could reach, knocking Shax reeling. Shax recovered and looked at her, callous understanding in his eyes. He then fired a jet of wind at her, and Piper shrieked as she was lifted off her feet and slammed into the fire escape, before she crashed back down to the ground. Shax let out a slow laugh as she limped back to her feet.

"You killed my sister!" Piper raged and blasted him right in the head, ripping off some hair.

Shax took a look at the strands of hair that had come loose and snarled.

"She's...mine!" he gloated.

Piper snarled, figuring he was saying that to hurt her.

"No she isn't." She said.

All Shax did was smile, then hit her with another wind blast that crashed her into the fire escape, and this time she didn't move. Shax smiled and whirled off up the street, leaving Piper lying prone on the fire escape.

XX

"By the Titans, how many magical shields are on this place?" Kane asked as they stripped another one down.

"A great many. They didn't want someone like the Source appearing unannounced." The Seer said as they undid another shield.

They were just starting on another one when the doors blasted open and Shax whirled in, throwing The Seer and Kane off their feet as he did so. They crashed to the floor and glared up at the hitman.

"You could have knocked." Kane grumbled, getting up.

"Shax you fool!" The Seer griped as he pulled her up.

The doors were hanging open, with all the glass shattered. The Seer ascertained that none of the shields were left.

"Excellent. The Source can now enter." She said, smiling.

As she spoke there was a flash of flame, and Prue stepped out, smiling as she beheld her former home. The Seer was worried. Barbas had told her of what the Triad had done, and while it made sense, she feared that the exposure to her old life would reawaken the slumbering Prue inside, and start a battle between good Prue and evil Prue within the Source. Thus far, the immersion in the deep evil of the Underworld had kept good Prue forced down. But now, with a fight with Prue's sisters looming, good Prue may start to reawaken. But, provided the Source remained focused, good Prue wouldn't be able to do much.

Prue entered the house, then sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Who trashed the grandfather clock?" she demanded, surveying the wreckage.

Kane and the Seer pointed unabashedly at Shax, who shrugged. Prue growled.

"Do you have any idea how much that takes to fix?" she demanded.

The Seer smiled slightly. She was still Prue, but evil. If nothing else, her resurrector would be entertaining.

Shax shrugged again and Prue shook her head.

"Go back to the Underworld. Now." She ordered.

The three vanished, and Prue looked around her home. She had been absent for six years. Nothing much had changed, but rather than pictures of the three sisters, they now had the impostor, Paige, along with the young blonde witch. She saw images of herself in some of the pictures, but more were of Paige, while some were of the two children crying on the floor, or the girls and their husbands.

Prue smiled as she beheld her nephews for the first time. They would be a powerful addition to the demonic force she was creating to destroy her sisters with.

_They wont be turned evil!_

Prue gasped and held her head as the defeated good Prue fought back against the evil of the Source. Evil Prue then blasted her back into her dormant state. While very powerful, good Prue wasn't strong enough to battle all the evil inherent in her body. The Source exerted it's will again, and Prue knelt down beside the boys.

"Hello boys. I'm your auntie Prue." She said happily, and raised a hand to touch Wyatt's shield.

And, to her great delight, the boy lowered it so he could meet his aunt for the first time.

XX

Piper groaned as she awoke. Her head was splitting, but at least she wasn't dead.

Then, maternal instinct told her Wyatt and Chris were in danger. She jumped off the fire escape and dashed out into the road.

XX

Henry entered the home strait, and Paige shrieked.

"Piper!" she cried, seeing her sister run out of an alley.

Henry screeched the car to a stop and Piper sprang in, ignoring her own car blocking the road.

"What happened to you?" Henry asked in concern, seeing the blood coming from her temple.

Piper took a deep breath.

"Shax." She said disbelievingly.

"What?" Paige demanded.

"I know. But thats for later. Manor, now!" she barked.

Henry streaked up the street and pulled to a stop right outside the door.

"Go." Paige said as Piper climbed out.

"But..."

"No, go." Paige said,

Henry sighed, and accepted that he would never be a part of that world, and drove off after she got out.

"Um...why are the doors wide open and have no glass?" Paige demanded as the two went towards the house.

"Shax." Piper said and they headed for the open doors.

XX

Phoebe groaned and got to her feet. Her hand went immediately to her belly, desperately pleading for a kick, which she received. Apparently, her baby was as disgruntled about getting thrown as she was.

"Sorry baby." She cooed, then her eyes narrowed.

A woman was in the house, and it wasn't the Seer, and whoever they were they weren't Piper.

She crept downstairs to see Piper and Paige enter. Piper raised a finger to her lips as Phoebe opened her mouth to ask what had happened to the door. The three of them came together, then jumped into the living room, to see a woman in a black leather jacket talking to Wyatt and Chris, who surprisingly didn't have their shields up.

"Look demon bitch, get away from my kids." Piper snarled, raising her hands.

The woman stopped cooing, and slowly stood up. Whoever she was, she was clad in a black leather jacket and had long black hair.

"Now Piper....is that any way to treat your sister?"

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other in uncomprehending shock. It couldn't be.

The demon turned, and it was Prue.

"That's... not possible." Phoebe stuttered.

"Hello Phoebe. Miss me?" Prue asked.

Piper looked at her dead sister in shock. She was exactly the way she had been when she had died six years previously. Terror, fear and elation swept through Piper and Phoebe at that moment as they beheld their dead sister, standing alive before them.

"Prue?" Piper asked weakly.

"Hey Piper." Prue said, smiling.

Then she blasted her sister with a blast of her powers.

Piper screamed as she went flying backwards, and Phoebe and Paige looked at Prue in shock. Prue then conjured an energy ball, which she slammed into Paige, who flew across the room and crashed into the cupboard under the stairs.

"Prue!? We're our sisters!" Phoebe cried.

Prue glared at her.

"No you aren't." She spat.

She conjured a fireball, and Phoebe gasped. There was only one demon who had ever wielded that sort of fireball.

"No..." Phoebe said.

The fireball slammed into Phoebe and she twirled through the air before landing with a heavy thud.

Piper got to her feet, despair and horror flooding her. Her own sister had gone evil. And worse, she had become the Source by the looks of things.

"Prue, we're your sisters!" Piper cried in despair.

Prue stood in the entrance hall, and glared at them.

"Sisters wouldn't have abandoned me to death, or replaced me so quickly." She said.

Then there were three more Prue's, which all shimmered at once.

"Why is she trying to kill us!?" Paige demanded.

The Prue's attacked as one, and Piper realised that if they didn't defend themselves, they would die.

"Fight her." She whispered.

She raised her hands and blew apart an astral projection. Phoebe levitated and kicked another one apart. Paige kicked at one, which then vanished. The real Prue then shimmered into existence behind them and hit them with a gust of wind that blew them all of their feet.

They skidded down the floor, but Prue was suddenly behind them, and she threw Phoebe and Paige away with a wave of her hand.

"You let me die!" Prue raged.

Piper blinked through her tears to look up at her sister pleadingly.

"We were too late! Prue, you aren't evil!" she said, then blasted Prue.

Prue staggered backward, but the wound healed itself with ease. Piper looked at her, aghast. Prue then conjured an energy ball which threw Piper through the air and crashing into the table, which broke apart. Paige then orbed in front of her and fired a jet of white light. Prue erected a force field which absorbed the blast.

"Try harder usurper." Prue sneered.

She then fired a bolt of electricity into Paige, which sent her spiralling across the room and smashing into the mirror in the living room.

Phoebe leapt down from the stairs, using her levitation powers. Prue casually hit her with a fireball and Phoebe cartwheeled through the air, smashing into the corner of the stairs.

Piper was back on her feet. Prue grinned maliciously and stretched time so that she was right beside Piper. Piper tried to blast her, but a shield stopped her. Prue then grinned and flicked her upwards, and Piper crashed through the ceiling, landing in the room above. Paige ran through to save Piper, arriving too late. Prue fired a fireball at the one she viewed as a usurper.

"Fireball!" Paige cried, reversing it.

Prue shimmered away, and appeared behind Paige, kicking her in the back. As Paige crashed to the floor, Prue smacked her with an energy ball which smashed her through the windows in the conservatory. Phoebe then arrived and charged at Prue, but all Prue did was slow down time. She then casually blasted Phoebe into the kitchen with a wave of her hand.

Prue smiled. Her sisters and the usurper were out cold.

_You harmed them!_

The good Prue then used an attack of her own, making her hold the wall for support. The Source then forced her back down and headed to collect the boys. As she entered the living room, the young blonde witch arrived.

"Who are you!?" she yelped.

Prue snarled and let loose a fireball. Billie gasped and reversed the blast with her powers. Prue teleported out of the way, and snarled.

"A telekinetic? You are nothing compared to me, pretender." She sneered.

Billie looked at Prue in fear. Prue then flicked Billie up, crashing her through the ceiling, then into the attic and out of the attic window so she could slam down unconscious on the lawn.

Prue took a breath, savouring the moment. She had just trounced the Charmed Ones. She reached down for the two crying boys.

"You come with me. Your mummy can't look after you anymore." Prue cooed as she picked them up.

She then whirled out of the manor like Shax, blasting apart the doors as she did so. She twirled into the street and looked at the damaged house.

"The beginning of the end." She said, before flaming away, boys in hand.

XX

Coop arrived with Leo, who Leo had called, just as Henry was dashing up to Billie.

"What the hell happened?" Coop demanded as Leo ran into the house/.

Henry shook his head, looking panicky.

"A massive fight. Then this woman whirled out and vanished." He said, carrying Billie inside.

Coop dashed in to see Leo checking Phoebe's pulse as he carried her into the wrecked living room.

"She's alive." He said, then vanished to search for Piper.

Coop got to his knees beside his wife and stroked her cheek. She had been roughed up bad, that was apparent.

"Paige!" Henry cried as he dropped Billie to the couch and dashed through to collect his wounded wife.

Leo then came down, looking terrified, holding a limp Piper in his arms.

"What happened in here? How could the four of them be trounced by one demon?" Coop demanded.

"I don't know." Leo said.

Piper groaned, then sat up groggily.

"Piper!" Leo said in relief, kissing her forehead.

Piper forced Leo off.

"Leo...we failed."

Silence reigned, as the three men noticed what was missing.

"Piper, where are the boys?" he asked anxiously.

Piper then broke down into tears.

"Piper!? Where are they!?" he demanded.

Piper sobbed.

"The worst has happened." She cried.

"Piper, tell me where they are!" Leo yelled frantically.

Piper looked at him sadly.

"She took them." She wailed.

"Who did?" Leo demanded urgently.

"The worst...it was...Leo, it was Prue!"

And then she began sobbing hysterically as the news hit Leo like a nuclear explosion.

**Prue is one nasty Source!**

**And Shax is by far the most menacing demon ever in my opinion, hence his attack on Piper.**

**Apologies for Cole's short presence. I dont think we've seen the last of him however, dont worry.**

**Right, in my other chapters there should have been a row of X separating sections, but for some reason they havent shown up. Hopefully they shall stay put this time. Regardless I have emailed support to find out where they have vanished to, and as soon as I know I'll fix the other two chapters.**

**Hope you liked this chapter, I intend to do some of my other stories for a bit before returning (but with me watching Charmed daily, who knows?:P)**

**What will happen next? How will the Charmed Ones cope with the fact that Prue is evil, and that she has kidnapped Wyatt and Chris? Next time, things go bad, and Leo gets a surprise, as does Phoebe (bet you cant guess what that is:P)**

**Until next time, please read and review!**

**P.S The grandfather clock always got blasted in Charmed, hence why Prue moans at Shax for wrekcing it. And I think the Seer is brilliant, so prepare to see a lot of her in days to come! Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Four

Dark Revelation

The lot of them went straight for the attic, to try and find out how this could have happened. Phoebe, looking distraught went straight for the Book of Shadows and started to look for anything on resurrection and also anything she could find on the Source that they could possibly use. Paige healed their wounds, looking worried, while Piper sobbed into Leo's shoulder.

"I mean, how can this happen? She's dead! And she suddenly comes back to life as the Source of All Evil and kidnaps our children! She's my big sister!" Piper said.

Leo rocked her gently.

"We'll get them back. I'm sure there's some perfectly reasonable explanation. There's no way Prue can be the Source." He soothed.

Piper looked up at him desperately.

"She seemed pretty Source like to me. She thrashed all four of us, kidnapped the kids, used nasty Source like fireballs and had Shax and the Seer working for her, who if I remember rightly, we vanquished years ago! If that isn't the Source I don't know what is!" Piper cried hysterically.

Phoebe slammed the book hopelessly.

"How can this happen? How can Prue be our Source!? I mean she's our big sister, who's been dead for years! How can she suddenly be back and be the Source!?"

Coop put his arm around her and she sobbed into his shoulder.

"You don't know that she is the Source for sure. She wouldn't betray her sisters like that, even if she has been dead." He consoled.

"Do we know for sure that it's the real Prue and not some other demon doing a nut job on you? Some demons would probably think it's pretty funny to play with your emotions that way." Paige said uncertainly.

Piper took a deep steadying breath and looked at her.

"No, it was Prue. I'm sure of it. How else would she convince the boys to go with her if she wasn't related to them? It's her." She said, breathing deeply.

Billie looked sympathetically at Piper as the sisters tried to grasp what was happening.

"We'll get them back Piper I promise." She said.

Piper looked at Phoebe, who nodded grimly. Prue or not, she had kidnapped the boys and had to be dealt with.

"Right. We need to find out how Prue has gone evil." Piper said.

"Then we need to rescue Wyatt and Chris. And see if we have to..." Paige began, but broke off at a look from Piper.

"We need to find out now. Kevin! Get your ass down here now!" Piper yelled.

Leo looked at her in concern. His own worry for the boys was threatening to overwhelm him, but she had totally lost it. Her own sister apparently becoming the Source had done a real blow to her, especially when said sister had kidnapped her children. Piper was going to be on the warpath, whether it was the real Prue or not. And Leo had a nasty feeling he didn't want to see it, as Piper was about to get very scary.

But there was also the fact that Prue did seem to be the Source. How could she betray her sisters? She may have died, but Leo knew she was a good woman, a powerful white witch. There was absolutely no way that she should have been able to turn so evil. Something wasn't right.

Kevin finally orbed down into the attic, and recoiled at the sight of a beaten, furious Piper.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Phoebe gave him a false smile.

"Oh nothing much. Except our older sister is back from the dead, appears to be the Source of All Evil, has kidnapped my nephews and wants us dead!" she stormed, tears choking her.

"I mean, how is that possible!? I thought when someone was dead for good they stayed dead for good! How is Prue alive and more to the point, why has she kidnapped my children!?" Piper thundered, her rage far surpassing her grief.

"Wait, Prue is alive!? That cant be!" Kevin protested.

Piper lost it, and blew Kevin up. Leo winced sympathetically as he reformed.

"Ouch! Alright, I'll go check!" he said and orbed out.

Paige hugged both of her sisters.

"Look, I know you two have suffered a severe shock. But if you don't calm down we cant do anything. Calm. Deep breaths, then we can focus on the mess we're in."

Piper and Phoebe took calming breaths, as Henry entered and went up to Leo.

"Um, that woman was their dead sister?" he asked quietly.

"Apparently. I don't see how though." Leo said gravely.

Billie was flicking through the Book, looking worried.

"There's nothing here on demons that can take the form of a dead loved one. A demon that can take on the appearance of a corpse until the body goes cold, but that's it." She said sadly.

"Dont bother looking Billie. It was our sister. It's Prue." Phoebe said.

Piper looked at Paige and gave her a half hearted smile.

"You said you always wanted to meet Prue. Now you have." She said, and Paige snorted.

XX

"The children of the Charmed Ones!" the Crone said wonderingly, prowling around the edge of the pen Prue had created for them.

"Leave them alone Crone. Only I am to touch them. If someone else does, they might figure out something is wrong and orb back to their mother and I don't want that." Prue said as she stirred a potion.

"May I ask what you are doing my lady?" Barbas asked curiously as he sniffed the potion.

"I'm working on a resurrection potion. For Belthezor."

Silence met these words.

"With all due respect, Belthezor is a traitor." Ludlow stated.

"He still loves the witch." Andras sneered.

"I know. Which is why I am going to offer him an offer he cant refuse." Prue said, filling a vial with potion.

The Seer raised an eyebrow.

"And what will be the point in this?" she queried.

"The Charmed Ones have been knocked reeling by my presence. Sending in Belthezor will allow us to kill Phoebe and break the Power of Three." Prue said.

_You will not succeed!_

Prue staggered, knocking the cauldron of potion to the floor. Zankou caught her arm and steadied her, as she reasserted control over her body, defeating the good Prue inside her.

"Damn it. I'm fine!" she snapped, sending the other demons back to their positions.

She then swept to the centre of the room, creating a bank of mist so as to avoid scaring the children. She threw the potion in the middle of a set of candles in a pentagram pattern, then stood back.

"_Feared demon hear my words_

_Awaits you does your overlord_

_Return to your power and your call_

_Without the capacity of in love to fall_."

There was an emission of smoke as a crack opened, and from within it Belthezor, red skinned and black tattooed, returned in all his glory. He took a surprised look at Prue.

"You refuse to bow before your source?" she snarled, and forced him to bend with her powers.

He then transformed back into Cole.

"Prue! How is this happening? You're the Source?" he demanded.

Prue smiled and sat down on her throne, dispersing the mist around the boys.

"And you got Piper's kids? What have I missed?" he asked in confusion.

Prue leaned back on her throne, smiling in amusement.

"I am the new Source. I have come to destroy my sisters, and to do so, I have brought you back. The loss of the children and my reappearance will have sent their minds into chaos. If you attack now, they will all die." She said confidently.

Shax stepped forward angrily.

"My...lady..." he said.

"Silence Shax. You have not disappointed me, never fear. But I have a reason for wishing to send Belthezor to the manor. His appearance will throw Phoebe, and leave her more vulnerable to the attack. And that is when you can do the thing you do best." She said.

Shax stepped back, appeased.

Cole grinned condescendingly.

"If you think Phoebe will hesitate to destroy me, you're wrong." He scoffed.

"I know. But you will give her pause long enough for Shax to finish her." She said.

Cole narrowed his eyes.

"What do I get in return?" he asked.

Prue grinned ferociously.

"You keep living for a start, and you will retake your rightful place as one of the Source's best operatives. And you shall also be purged of your love for Phoebe. All I ask in return is that you attack the manor." Prue said.

Cole looked around the assembled demons.

"And if I refuse?" he asked.

Prue smiled grimly.

"Then you go back to the darkest pit of hell where I summoned you from." She said simply.

Cole sighed.

"Looks like I have no choice. I'll do it." He said.

Prue smiled.

"Excellent."

XX

In the attic, the grief and confusion was still palpable, but Paige and Billie were focusing it, making Piper and Phoebe create different potions just in case their old foes came calling. Kevin hadn't responded, and Coop, Leo and Henry were nervously watching the girls, fearing that Piper and Phoebe were barely keeping it together.

"They're worried, stressed, horrified...all negative emotions." Coop said.

"You cant blame them. Their dead sister has returned from the dead and has become their greatest enemy." Leo said worriedly, looking at how pale and gaunt Piper looked.

There was a shimmering and Kevin finally orbed down, looking wan.

"Well?" Piper demanded, leaping up.

Kevin took a deep breath.

"It appears that Prue is in fact the new Source." He said tiredly.

Silence ruled the room after he dropped this bombshell, and Piper clung to Leo for support.

"But we don't know how, we cant figure that out." He said worriedly.

Billie, who had been rather quiet while the family had dealt with the news that one of their own had become their greatest enemy, finally spoke up, as Phoebe took a seat, weak at the knee.

"My guess...the Triad's behind it."

"Billie honey, we vanquished the Triad. Dont become fixated on the one who's caused you the most grief." Phoebe advised.

Paige snorted derisively at this and Phoebe shot her a filthy look.

Piper was listening to none of this as Billie looked slightly put out. She was creating a pentagram on the floor with candles, then stood back.

"_Hear my words, hear my cry,_

_Spirit from the other side_

_Come to me I summon thee_

_Cross now over the great divide_."

The air coalesced and Grams stepped from the circle into the attic.

"My darlings, I saw everything! How is this possible!?" she demanded, hugging the three sisters to her.

Phoebe sniffed.

"We don't know, but we need to find out. I mean, our sister has become the Source of All Evil. We need to find out how this happened." She said.

Grams frowned.

"When that wrenching went off, Prue just disappeared. We assumed she had gone for a nose around to find out what had caused it, not that she was resurrected through it. But you need to find out if she's an evil Prue from an alternate reality, the real Prue resurrected and turned evil or whatever she is. And we need to find out soon. Only then will we be able to prepare to effectively fight her." Grams reasoned.

Piper nodded.

"Which means we need to go to the demonic marketplace to see what's up." She said, taking charge.

Kevin nodded.

"Good idea. I'm going back upstairs. The news that there's a new Source has sent everyone into a panic, especially seeing as it's your dead sister who you're fighting." He said before vanishing.

Grams stepped back into the circle.

"Be careful girls. Your sister or not, Prue is still the Source and has the boys. Stay on your guard." She warned before disappearing.

The sisters and Billie held onto Paige.

"Let's hope we can stop Prue without resorting to the way we had to do with the other Sources." Paige whispered to Billie.

Billie frowned as they orbed our, leaving the men behind.

"And what exactly do we do?" Henry asked.

Leo shrugged.

"You see if there's anything you can do to keep your friends from sticking their noses in, while Coop tries to scry for the boys under my supervision." He said, and they got to it.

XX

The girls orbed to the Demonic Marketplace, and Piper's mere presence, combined with the fact that she looked ready to blast demons just for the sake of it, sent the inhabitants of the place hurtling indoors to keep out of their way. Piper marched through the streets, her hands raised, but no one dared to go anywhere near them. They finally got to the small tavern they'd been heading for and entered, and the room went silent. Piper glared around the room until she found the proprietor.

"Everyone, out now!" she yelled, and the demons made haste from the area, leaving the proprietor looking worried.

"Yes miss Charming, miss?" he asked wheezily.

He was an old man with bright silver eyes, and had been a source for information in recent months since Billie had been tracking a warlock, and he had helped them locate him. As such the girls had been relatively frequent visitors since then.

"The new Source. We want all the details." Paige said as she and Billie shut all the doors.

He sighed.

"Not allowed to miss." He admitted.

Piper then blew up several bottles.

"Really?" she asked angrily.

"Alright, don't trash the place, I'll talk!" he yelled, panicked.

They all faced him, and he sighed.

"A new Source has taken over, the strongest one ever. Apparently, she's already taken over all the powers of the Underworld and has kidnapped the children of the Charmed Ones, and she's brought back loads of upper level demons who you already wiped out. She also has the power over time I'd heard." He said impressively.

Phoebe looked at Piper worriedly.

"Ok, confusion. To have the power over time she'd have to have absorbed Tempus' powers, and we got rid of him." She said.

"And he died when they had to rewind time. So how does Prue have his powers?" she asked in confusion.

The man leaned forward.

"Apparently he was resurrected by..."

He was suddenly screaming as flames surrounded him, and with a flash, he was gone.

"Looks like Prue doesn't want us knowing much." Paige commented.

Piper looked at her.

"Our own sister, the Source. What do we do Pheebs?" she asked.

Phoebe sat down, looking disheartened.

"I don't know."

Paige stepped forward.

"Look, I know you two grew up with her. But we did what we had to when Cole was the Source. We need to be open to the possibility that we'll need to do that for Prue. I'm sorry guys, but Prue is too powerful for us to hold back. She has Chris and Wyatt and is probably going to try to turn them evil. So we don't have much time. We need to get ready and go for it, because Prue is going to be sending every demon in the Book after us, and that's a fact. So we need to be ready, to fight Prue. I know you don't want to fight her. Considering how well she trashed us it's not high on my to do list either. But we need to. Because we're the Charmed Ones." She said.

Piper nodded grimly.

"You're right Paige. We just have to grin and bear it as usual. But we still need to find out how she went evil." She reasoned.

Phoebe nodded.

"Correct. Come on, let's get home. Then we can try and write a spell to see how this happened." She said, and Paige orbed them home.

XX

They entered the manor to find it swarming with all sorts of magical beings.

"Oh my god..." Piper said, distracted as a unicorn began eating her flowers that were in a vase on the table.

Leprechauns, elves, trolls, fairies, genies, ghosts, cupids, nymphs, muses, dwarves, gnomes, and all other sorts were bustling around the house, making themselves at home.

"hey, feet off the table!" Phoebe yelled to a troll.

"Hey! That's mine!" Paige shouted at a nymph who was running off with her jumper.

"What the hell is going on?" Piper demanded as Leo came down the stairs.

Leo shrugged, looking amazed by all the magical creatures that were in the house.

"We're here to get you lot to save the world. Evil has never been so powerful." A leprechaun said sadly.

"We need help, and we need it fast. You need to stop this new Source, before she undoes everything you've accomplished!" an elf encouraged.

Piper sighed as the magical creatures continued to mill about the house.

"Right, we need to find out how Prue came back so we can figure out how to stop her. Any ideas?" she asked.

Billie looked uncertain.

"I could project myself to see what happened." She offered.

Paige shook her head.

"No, it's too dangerous." She said.

Billie shook her head determinedly.

"We need to find out how she came back. I can do it. Dont worry, I'll be careful." She soothed, then projected out before they could stop her.

"I hate it when she doesn't listen." Paige grumbled.

"Sound familiar?" Piper asked, and Phoebe grinned.

XX

Billie found herself in the Underworld, and got into a position where she could see everything. She watched as Kane healed Prue after she was plucked from where died by Tempus, then watched as dark powers entered her, along with the powers of the Triad. It gave her a slight boost when she saw that she had been right about the Triad. She then saw Prue get coroneted after the weird shrouded demon had whispered into her ear. Considering all this, she flashed back to the present.

XX

"Well?" Phoebe asked, as Coop and Henry came downstairs, Coop carrying the Book.

Billie sat down, tired from projecting herself for so long.

"We have a severe problem. First, the Triad, who are alive by the way," she gloated, to the shock of the sisters, "resurrected this Tempus guy. He created a time warp and took Prue's body from where she died, so the events still happened but they were affected by an external factor." She reasoned.

The sister's eyes narrowed in rage. Tempus had a lot to answer for.

"Right, so what happened after that?" Phoebe asked urgently.

"First that Kane guy healed her, you know, the Darklighter." Billie recounted.

The girls looked at Leo who nodded grimly.

"A dark healing will have tainted her and made her more susceptible to the darkness." He said gravely.

"What next?" Piper asked.

"Next Prue fought the demons, and got a fair few vanquished, Tempus and the Triad in the process."

"Yeah, that's Prue." Phoebe said proudly.

"Then it went weird. Every time a demon was vanquished, their powers just hung around. When Prue had wiped out a fair few, they all went into her, sort of like they possessed her." Billie said in confusion.

Leo nodded.

"With the dark healing, they could find a home and begin to take over. But I don't think she's totally possessed somehow."

"Next, this creepy guy in a cloak started talking a load of lies. But the weird thing was, she seemed to start to believe him, and after he finished with her she seemed...evil." Billie said, knowing she was breaking bad news.

"Was it another demon?" Coop asked.

"Yes. Why?"

Paige took the Book, looking concerned. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for.

"Is that him?"

_**The Whisarmer**_

_An upper level demon, the Whisarmer has the ability to make a person believe with all their heart whatever he whispers into their ear. People continue living this illusion until he is defeated, or the enchantment broken._

"Yeah, that's him!" Billie exclaimed.

"That explains how she got so dark so quickly. He made her believe a pack of lies." Paige growled menacingly.

"Right, so if he's part of the problem, we vanquish him and it all ends right?" Piper asked.

"I don't think so. If we'd gotten him before Prue was coronated as the new Source, yes, and the dark powers would have been expelled. I think it's too late now." Phoebe sighed.

"Damn it."

"Then Barbas coronated her as the new Source." Billie finished.

"Barbas? Oh come on." Piper hissed.

"That explains it then. She's the proper Source and has to be stopped." Paige said reluctantly.

Piper, who'd been busy keeping an eye on a witchdoctor, then frowned.

"Something's not right." She said.

Just as she said it, their magical houseguests all panicked and vanished.

"What the...?" Henry asked.

The doors suddenly started to rattle, and Piper and Phoebe stood facing the door.

"Shax." They spat as Paige and Billie joined them.

The doors banged open, and Shax looked at them icily. Then, other demons began to materialise. Spider demons, Scabbar demons and several kazi demons shimmered into existence. Along with them, the Grimlocks appeared as did the Crone.

"Shax first." Phoebe said, as another demon shimmered into existence.

It was Belthazor.

"That cant be..." Phoebe gasped.

It was Cole, in his red and black demon form. He raised his hands to her.

"Phoebe, don't!" he pleaded.

Piper stepped defensively in front of her sister.

"After all the times we've tried to get rid of you, you've got the nerve to come back!? Get lost." She said, and blasted him through the door.

Belthazor went flying through the door as the others attacked. Shax fired an energy ball, and it sent Piper crashing onto the table, which she slid along, knocking off the vase in the process, and smashed down at the far end of the dining room. Billie bravely stepped forward and flicked at him with her powers, but all he did was send her a disdainful glance as he ignored it. The Crone fired a beam of magic at Billie, which made her gasp as she was thrown into the conservatory and smashed through the windows. Paige orbed out of the way of a Kazi demon's attack, before kicking him in the mouth. The Grimlocks were bearing down on her when Phoebe appeared from nowhere, kicking at them while she levitated. A scabbar demon fired a torrent of gunge at them.

"Goo!" Paige cried, and it hit another, making him evaporate.

Shax tornadoed towards them as Belthazor came back into the house. At the same time, the Grimlocks recovered and the Crone came into attack.

"Suggestions?" Phoebe asked.

"I doubt they'll let me orb away." Paige grunted, as they attacked.

That was when Shax went flying across their field of vision, smashing into the grandfather clock. Phoebe turned to see Belthazor, looking angry.

"Phoebe, I'm on your side!" he said, as he vanquished a couple of kazi demons.

They were so shocked they didn't see the spider demon behind them. She raised her sting, just as Coop came out of the room. A jet of pink magic shot from his wing and threw her over the room, smashing into the wall.

"About time we cupids got some armament!" he grumbled, as he blasted the Grimlocks off their feet.

Piper got back to her feet and blasted the remaining Kazi demons with Belthazor, while Coop held off the other spider demons. Paige grunted as the scabbar demons approached, but they were abruptly thrown backwards as Billie returned to the fight. The demons, who'd had the advantage before, were thrown by the strength of their attack, and the sisters were coming together in order to vanquish Shax. Shax hissed at Belthazor, who threw an energy ball at him. Shax blasted it in midair, knocking Belthazor off his feet as the Crone, the Grimlocks and the remaining Scabbar demons retreated towards the door.

"Hurry, before he escapes!" Coop encouraged, firing a jet of magic from his ring.

The Crone deflected it and it crashed Coop through the air, slamming him into a weakened Billie. The sisters were momentarily distracted, just as Shax fired an energy ball at Phoebe. Piper saw this and stepped in front, blowing it up before it hit her sister. Then, Shax's other blast caught her in the chest.

Piper was lifted, screaming, from the floor, and she slammed up into the stairway banister and then toppled all the way down the stairs, before going horribly still.

"PIPER!" Phoebe yelled desperately.

Shax smiled.

"The...end..." he said and twirled out, and the other retreated in pursuit.

Phoebe and Paige rushed to Piper's side, knowing that Coop, Billie and Belthazor would be alright. Piper was losing a lot of blood, and Paige's efforts weren't stopping the flow.

"Leo!" Phoebe called desperately as Paige tried to revive their sister.

Leo and Henry came rushing through, looking terrified. Leo knelt down beside her, cradling her bleeding, broken body.

"Piper, come on, we need you." He said in despair.

Henry looked at the mess that had been caused by the brawl as Coop got to his feet slowly. Phoebe was looking at her sister, as though begging her to remain alive.

"I'm not strong enough." Paige said unbelievingly, as Piper started to go cold.

"NO! Shax cant have killed her too! Kevin!" Phoebe yelled desperately.

Billie came through with Coop and Belthazor, and they all looked on in saddened wonder at the scene, the dead or dying Piper surrounded by her desperate family.

"Kevin!" Phoebe hollered, but to no avail.

"No...no..." Paige whispered, and melted into Henry's arms and burst into tears.

Billie started to sniff sadly and Belthazor clapped her shoulder which had the opposite effect and made her back away in fear. Coop went to Phoebe and held her as she cried over Piper's body.

Leo looked forlornly at his wife.

"Piper...please...live! We need you, me, your sisters, the boys, we all need you! Please wake up!"

Piper gave no response

Leo began to weep, then he looked up towards the heavens.

"Are you happy now? Have I been punished enough now? I was tricked into killing Zola, and Gideon was a traitor! Yes I might have betrayed you by joining the Avatars, but so what? I did it to help Piper! And now I've lost her! Dont you think I've suffered enough!?" he raged, tears falling freely onto his prone wife.

Even Belthazor looked uncomfortable at this rage, but Leo wasn't finished.

"I am sorry that I killed Zola! But that's all! I'm not sorry I killed Gideon, he was evil, and as an Elder, it was our job to defeat evil! But everything else, I did for Piper! And you wont even let me help her!" he cried.

And suddenly, his hands glowed, and Piper's wound healed.

"What the...?" Paige demanded as Piper's body regained its colour and the blood disappeared.

Leo looked down at his hands in wonder as Piper's eyes opened. He gasped as she sat up, and then abandoning all pretence, he kissed her fiercely.

"Yay!" Phoebe cried embracing the kissing couple, as did Paige.

Piper broke off.

"Right, I'm confused. How have you got powers, why are this two a state, why is the entrance a wreck again, who smashed the grandfather clock, how is Cole alive and why do I have a splitting headache?" she demanded.

And everyone else present burst into laughter.

XX

Prue sighed, slightly put out as she watched what happened.

"The plan failed." Barbas stated.

"No. The plan worked. However the Elders had to interfere! We had victory in our grasp and they snatched it away!" she fumed as she sat on her throne.

"But Belthazor..." Zankou said.

"His love for Phoebe was stronger than I thought, strong enough to override my considerable magic. But aside from that, we were close to destroying the Charmed Ones. Figures Leo would foil me at the last moment. Not to worry. It is but a minor setback." She said chirpily.

The other demons looked nervously at each other. No other Source would have taken coming so close only to fail at the final hurdle so well. It could lead to doubts about her rule.

"However, the interference of the Elders is a major annoyance that must stop. I shall deal with them in due course. Next time, your services will not be required Shax."

Her blue assassin looked outraged.

"I am sending a stronger, far more powerful being in your place." She said, grinning.

"Really? Who?" the Seer asked defensively, having always been fond of Shax.

"Me." Prue said simply, smiling evilly.

**So close, yet so far! Prue's plan nearly destoryed the Power of Three, but not yet! We still have plenty fighting left to do, trust me!**

**And Cole has returned. Will he remain on the side of Good? Or Will Prue's magic win out and will he return to evil? **

**Leo has back his powers, and that, along with Cole's return shall be explained next chapter to poor Piper. And Shax has been replaced by the only one capable of replacing him...the Source herself. What is Prue's next evil scheme? Will it spell the end for the Charmed Ones? **

**Time will tell what transpires for the Charmed Ones! Until I update, please read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed (though I do now own all eight seasons on DVD)**

Chapter Five

Cast Away

"Aw, he used his love for you to undo Prue's magic? That's so romantic." Billie sighed.

Phoebe sent her a dirty look as Cole sniggered. He had taken Phoebe aside and said he would not pursue her in any shape and form, finally accepting that he had lost her years ago.

Piper rolled her eyes.

"So are you back as a Whitelighter for good?" she asked her husband.

"I don't know. Maybe they figured they couldn't fight without you. Something makes me think they need us this time." He said, stroking her hair.

"Right. We need to vanquish Prue. Otherwise we'll be doing the entire thing all over again." Cole said frankly.

Paige reluctantly nodded.

"He's right. She's too powerful for us to pussyfoot about. We need to go after her and we need to do it properly. And while we do that, we'll have to hope that the boys wont turn evil until we get to them." She said.

Piper shook her head.

"They wont. We'll get to them before they do. We have to."

The others all looked at her and nodded determinedly.

XX

Prue added the last ingredient to her potion.

"Excellent. It's ready." She said.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse looked at her curiously.

"Surely we should go after them considering they cant vanquish us and only you can my lady?" Death asked.

"No. A leader must lead. As such I will deal with this. However...there is something you can do for me." She whispered, beckoning them closer.

"What is it?" Strife asked.

Prue looked over to the other side of the room, to where Hecate was talking with the Grimlocks, Dantalian, Eames and Xar. The Seer and Zankou were watching the group cautiously.

"Hecate hates me. She seems to think I will betray the Underworld and is marshalling support for a coup. Find out who's on her side, confirm my suspicions." She ordered.

"Shouldnt you just vanquish Hecate?" Famine queried.

"Not at the moment. My power is too new, and Belthazor's defection has slightly undermined my support. I need to wait before I can move against her. Dont worry, I have a few suspicions. The support she can amass in the lower ranks is of little concern. It's the ones up this far I worry about. And while you do that, continue to spread your powers. If I totally fail, we can at least destroy the Charmed Ones by bringing about the Apocalypse." She said.

The horsemen bowed and walked off, and began slowly integrating themselves into the circles of others.

"Hecate will betray you." The Seer said as she approached.

"She's right. Her fear of discovery is very great." Barbas purred.

"Hecate is a fool. Zankou, ingratiate yourself with Hecate and keep me informed of all developments. If she poses a threat to my rule, inform me at once." She ordered quietly.

"As you wish." Zankou said, bowing his head and heading to the horn faced woman.

"And is it wise to use the horsemen?" the Seer asked, throwing War a dirty look.

"Yes. It's a failsafe Seer. And if worse comes to worse, I can always send them against my sisters." Prue said, to Barbas' delight.

She headed to the potion she had been brewing.

"My lady, what is of such importance that I could not create the potion?" the Alchemist demanded.

Prue smiled.

"Do not take offence Alchemist. I..."

_I know what you're planning and it wont work!_

Good Prue suddenly flashed into existence, mentally attacking her evil host. Prue stumbled, and Barbas stooped to catch her, staying the whispering behind her. Good Prue fought valiantly as Evil Prue forced her back.

"You will not win!" she hissed.

_Then I'll figure out a way to vanquish your sorry ass._

And then she was gone. The chat slowly resumed behind her, and Prue could sense Hecate's glee.

"Are you alright?" The Whisarmer asked, not wanting his work to be undone.

"I'm fine. Now, where was I?" she asked, and headed back to her potion.

"Is it a problem?" Barbas muttered.

"Not yet. But if she doesn't figure out a way to vanquish her good half, it could be." The Seer responded, as they headed to join her.

The Alchemist sniffed the potion.

"You did very well my lady. A potion to separate a witch from her powers. But what is the point? You will not get close enough to use it." He said, tapping his beak thoughtfully.

Prue smiled.

"I was once separated from my powers before I was betrayed by my sisters. My aunt..." she said, and then tailed off.

The Whisarmer, sensing a crack in the armour that he had created out of his lies.

"Your aunt betrayed you. She was working with your sisters to strip you of your powers and deny you your birthright. They are traitors who cannot be trusted. They betrayed you."

And the rift was healed by his lies. Barbas sent the Seer a questioning look, but all she did was roll her eyes. She was beginning to get doubts about the Triad's plan. Prue's mind was far too powerful for this. However, she had foreseen that the death of the sisters would end Good Prue and the holes in the plan. She only hoped that would be soon.

"My aunt used this to summon Cryto and give him our powers. To slip it to us she put it in our iced tea. I will do the same. There is always a jug of ice tea in the fridge. I will slip it to them, then summon their powers. Once they are powerless, we shall go in and destroy them." She promised.

Barbas nodded, impressed.

"Simple yet effective. When will you act?" he asked.

Prue smiled.

"Right now." She said, filled a vial with her potion and vanished in a flash of flame.

XX

Prue flashed into the mercifully empty kitchen. She opened the fridge, and as expected, there was a jug of ice tea ready to be drunk. She uncorked the vial and dribbled it in. Smiling, she flamed out, closing the door behind her.

XX

Piper entered the attic, where Paige and Billie were looking for the Book and earmarking demons they may have to vanquish again, while Cole, Coop and Phoebe were making many powerful potions and Leo and Henry were pulling out various magical enchantments and amulets that could be used that the girls had accumulated over the years. Piper set the tray of iced tea down and headed over to the Book.

"Ooh, look who's back in tight fighting clothes." Leo teased, seeing that his wife had changed into an all black ensemble.

Piper sent him a look.

"Well if my sister is trying to kill me I want to be able to kick her ass back. What have we got?"

"Loads of amulets, lucky charms and a couple of weapons, like Paige's trident from when she was a Goddess." He said.

"You were a Goddess?" Henry asked interestedly.

Paige however ignored him and seized her trident.

"Yay, I've got my trident back! Cool!" she said excitedly, zapping a hole in the wall to test it.

"Hey, watch it!" Phoebe grumbled as dust settled in her hair.

"What's wrong honey?" Coop asked.

It was a testament to how well he knew Phoebe considering the fact that the only worry he had over Cole's presence was the fact that he might be a double agent.

Piper grinned.

"The usual trouble. No active power when she reckons she needs it." She said, smiling.

Phoebe pouted.

"Well it isn't fair. What am I going to do to any demon Prue sends after us? I cant even give them a couple of kicks because I'm pregnant! I cant fight at all!" she wailed.

Coop smiled and hugged her.

Piper cocked her head at Paige, who adamantly shook her head.

"Oh no, she isn't getting my trident! This is my trident!" she said, holding it close.

"Paige, your power can be used in fights. Hers cant. And as she points out she cant very well martial art them anymore. Give her your trident!"

Paige shook her head, causing Henry to snigger.

"My trident!" she said, as Billie giggled.

Piper shot Paige an angry look.

"Look Paige, my dead sister is the Source of All Evil and has my kids. I want them back and I want to kick Prue's astral ass, bad or good. To do that I'll need the Power of Three. To do that, I need all my sisters kicking ass on all cylinders! Give her the damn trident!" she demanded.

Paige shot Piper a petulant look.

"No fair using Wyatt and Chris as motivation." She grumbled.

Piper looked at Leo, who was also full of worry for the boys.

"We'll get them back Piper." He said solemnly.

"If she's hurt them, I'll blow to her bits, sister or not." She growled.

Cole turned to look at Piper.

"Calm down Piper. Wyatt and Chris are both fine. Prue told them all that no one was to touch them aside from her. I think she's just going to let prolonged exposure to the Underworld turn them at first, at least until she gets rid of you guys." He explained.

Piper and Leo turned on him.

"You've seen them? Why didn't you say so?" Leo demanded angrily.

"And why didn't you try and save them!?" Piper raged.

Cole held up his hands.

"Look, I couldn't do anything, Prue would have destroyed me if I had tried anything. But they are alright. Mind you, if Prue's ever busy, I don't fancy any of the babysitters she could use." He added thoughtfully.

"Hmm. Hopefully they'll pee on them." Leo grumbled as he pulled out another amulet.

Piper smiled slightly, entertaining herself with visions of Chris spurting right in the Seer's face.

"This sucks. How did this happen?" Phoebe asked sadly.

Piper sat down beside her sister, while Coop patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"I know it sucks honey." She said, hugging her.

Phoebe sighed, rubbing her head.

"I'm just so sick of evil trying to get the better of us." She said, bringing her hand down.

And then the chest of drawers opposite them blew up.

"Whoa!" Billie yelped, jumping out of the way.

"What was that? What just happened?" Piper demanded, looking at Phoebe.

Leo grinned.

"If you ask me, I reckon Phoebe just got an active power." He said.

Paige surveyed the damage done to the drawers.

"Well you blasted them well and good. But what was it?"

"I don't know, it just sort of happened." Phoebe said confusedly.

Billie grinned as she found what she was searching for in the Book.

"Here's your new power Phoebe. Emotion Projection, a very rare power. I expect it's because you're an empathy and you can have premonitions, and its an advancement of the two at once. A witch can manifest the emotions she is feeling into physical acts of magic. If a witch is feeling particularly happy or is recalling a joyous memory, the witch can then bolster her own powers to greater heights. Also if the witch is in battle, if she is feeling particular emotions such as hatred or anger, these can manifest as powerful bursts of magic that can harm a target." Billie read.

Phoebe grinned and clapped her hands.

"At last! And with my levitation and empathy powers, I can really kick some ass!" she said excitedly.

"Provided you remember about junior." Coop counselled.

Phoebe smiled and patted her stomach.

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Right, so we now have active powers. I want my kids back, so can we hurry up and figure out a plan to stop Prue." She said, just as the bell rang.

"Reckon that's Prue?" Paige asked nervously.

Cole shook his head.

"Something makes me think she wont ring the bell."

"True. Right, Phoebe, do not blow anything up and Paige, put your trident down. I don't want you shooting anything either."

Paige scowled at her as she headed down the stairs. Piper opened the door to see someone she hadn't seen for years.

"Darryl! What are you doing here?" she asked delightedly as he hugged her.

"Hey Piper. Well after we moved to the East Coast, Sheila and I started to regret how we left things with you. I know you would never hurt us intentionally. And then we heard our old house was up for sale so we decided to move back here to San Francisco." He explained as he came in.

Piper smiled at him.

"That's ok Darryl. Welcome home." she said.

"Thanks. So, how have you been?" he asked, just as the bell rang again.

"Hold that thought." She said and opened the door to reveal her father.

"Dad, hi!" she said in surprise as he too hugged her.

"Hey Piper. Forget I was coming today?" he asked as she stepped back.

"Victor!" Darryl said, shaking his hand.

"Darryl, welcome home." He said warmly.

There was then a bang from the attic.

"What the?" Darryl asked.

"Oh come on Darryl, you know what goes on here." Piper said as she rushed up the stairs, the two men close behind her.

They entered into the attic to find Cole stamping out the flames of an old coat stand, and Phoebe proudly observing the damage she had caused.

"Phoebe!" Piper scolded.

"Dad, Darryl!" she said delightedly as she hugged them both.

The two men were both looking in surprise at Cole.

"Isnt he dead?" Victor whispered to Darryl.

"Meant to be, but with this family, who knows?" he said as Cole waved at them distractedly.

Coop came over to Phoebe, showing to both the men that they were still married as he held her close to him.

"Hey Paige. So, how is Cole alive, and where are the boys, and what blew up the coat stand?" Victor asked as he sat down weakly, and Henry passed him a glass of ice tea.

Cole was about to explain, when he looked at Piper.

"If I tell him he wont believe me, you'd better do it."

"Thanks for that." She said grouchily.

Phoebe poured them all ice tea as Piper sat down opposite Victor and Darryl.

"Well, know how we whacked the Triad?" she said, gesturing to Billie, who looked away sheepishly.

"Yeah, I heard in Paige's last email." Darryl said, and Victor nodded.

"Well we apparently didn't vanquish them properly, and they came back. They brought back Tempus..."

Darryl held up his hand.

"Tempus? Isnt he the one you said was responsible for getting Andy killed?" he asked.

Piper nodded.

"Yeah, him and Rodriguez. Well they brought him back, and used that...to resurrect Prue." She said gravely.

Victor's eyes went wide and Darryl coughed in surprise.

"What?" Victor demanded.

"They resurrected Prue and have made her the Source of All Evil. And then she resurrected a load of demons we've already vanquished, then came in and flattened us and took the boys." She finished, drinking her tea.

"I think I need something stronger." Victor said weakly.

Darryl moaned slightly.

"Why did I come back?" he asked, but winked at Paige who giggled.

"Inspector Morris?" Henry asked curiously.

Darryl turned and smiled.

"Another cop! How did you get roped into all of this?" he asked interestedly.

Henry grinned.

"I married Paige." He said proudly.

"So you know all of this? Even about Prue?" he asked.

"Yep. I never expected to meet you." He said, and the two got talking.

Victor sighed.

"So, do you have to vanquish Prue or what?" he asked.

Phoebe sighed sadly.

"I don't know. We might have to." She admitted.

Cole scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"I don't know. Before I left I heard talk that Prue has...episodes. I reckon the good Prue, your proper sister, the one the Source has dominated, is fighting back, considering she possesses will and good far greater than mine ever was." He said.

Piper looked at him, thinking of the possibilities. If they could free Prue...

"Yeah, I don't get it." Henry said, looking bewildered.

"I'm with him." Darryl said, and Coop nodded in agreement.

Paige smiled as she thought of a way to explain it.

"Know in the first Harry Potter book, how Voldemort possesses Quirrell?"

They nodded slowly.

"Well, the Source is like Voldemort, and Prue is Quirrell, but she is actually a good guy and is fighting Voldemort out of her body! Just the Voldemort in this case is too powerful for her, so she cant beat it...at least not without help." She said.

"It's quite worrying that that made sense." Coop said, to Leo's nods of agreement.

"I thought the Source was an individual demon though?" Billie asked curiously.

"No, it's an entity that seeks out the most powerful demon as a host. As such, it technically only possesses the one who becomes the one who is the Source." Cole explained.

"So...you think there's a chance we can save Prue?" Phoebe asked hopefully.

Cole looked worried.

"If you just whack her with the spell, you'll probably kill her. But...if she can take control of the body long enough for you to say the spell..." he said thoughtfully.

"We could in theory banish the Source from inside her and turn her back to normal." Leo finished.

Silence reigned, and Piper and Phoebe looked at each other questioningly.

"Piper, what sort of tea is this? It tastes funny." Victor said, looking stressed all of a sudden due to the news about Prue.

Piper tasted it, and wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah it does." She admitted.

"It tastes sort of familiar actually." Phoebe said.

Piper nodded, and watched as Paige drunk some too. Where had she tasted it before?

XX

Prue smiled as he fire portal showed that all the sisters had drunk the tea.

"_Powers of the witches rise,_

_Course unseen across the skies,_

_Come to me who calls you near,_

_Come to me and settle here._"

XX

Abruptly, the answer hit her.

"Aww, Phoebe!" Piper complained.

"What, what have I done?"

"We tasted tea like this at aunt Gail's!" she shrieked.

Phoebe looked at her, then her eyes widened.

"Oh oh oh! So not good!"

"We have an aunt Gail?" Paige asked interestedly.

"Your Grams' sorority sister?" Victor asked curiously.

"What's happened?" Henry demanded.

"Prue has been here, has spiked our tea and has stolen our powers! Paige, did you drink any of the tea?" Piper demanded anxiously.

"Yeah...are we in trouble?"

She looked at Phoebe who threw a ball at Piper. She raised her hands and tried to freeze it, but it just shot past her.

"That isn't good is it?" Darryl asked.

"No. We have no powers, meaning Prue is going to be coming for us." Piper said.

"You have to get out of here." Leo said urgently.

Billie then shrieked.

"The Book's gone blank!" she cried.

Piper looked at the now blank book. Prue's power must have been augmented indeed if she could strip the book clean.

"We have a problem people. Prue has stripped our powers and is going to be coming for us. We need our powers back." She said.

"Well when Aunt Gail took them we had to strip them from Cryto. Something makes me think we wont get close enough to do the same thing to Prue." Phoebe said worriedly.

"Unless she hasn't stolen our powers..." Piper reasoned.

"Piper, if she's the Source, she's bound to want your powers." Leo warned.

"No, what if she doesn't have them herself? I mean, we've lost our powers before and have still managed to pull through. If Prue has only taken them from us and has locked them away, we might be able to get them back." She theorised.

"That means relying on a long shot. And even if she has, how do we get them?" Paige asked.

"Can you still orb?" Piper asked pointedly.

Paige did so and nodded gravely.

"Looks like I'm going." She said.

"Wait, you'll need help if you're going down there, you wont be able to go down there yourself." Cole said.

Henry looked at her worriedly. The thought of her being killed down there...

"I'll go with her, and Cole can come too. Then we can hold the bad guys off long enough for Paige to find out if Prue actually has your powers or has just locked them away somewhere." Coop said.

"But it's still a long shot. What happens if your powers aren't there?" Darryl asked.

Phoebe was looking at the book.

"What if I could recall the spell that gave us the powers in the first place? The ones that made us witches? If you and I could recite that, it would mean that we could reactivate our powers that way." She suggested.

"Another long shot. But I suppose it could work..." Piper admitted.

"But Prue is going to be coming for you. And when she does, we wont be able to stop her." Leo said anxiously.

"But we can hold her off long enough for them to get their powers back." Henry said.

Victor, Darryl and Leo all nodded.

"Right, good luck Paige. Be careful." Phoebe said, hugging her sister, then her husband.

"We will. And if we see the boys..." Paige said.

"Just go. And be safe." Piper said worriedly, and Paige orbed out, Cole and Coop with her.

"Right sis, get remembering." She said, and the two began to write down what they could remember as the others barred the door.

XX

"Now is the time to strike! We can take out the Charmed Ones once and for all!" Hecate roared, to great approval.

Prue surveyed her with distaste. She was beginning to find the horned demon quite irksome, and the fact that she was plotting against her wasn't doing her any favours.

"Silence Hecate. It is time to act, you are correct. But you will not be acting with us. You will stay here."

Hecate narrowed her eyes.

"My lady, I want revenge against the Charmed Ones. They foiled my plans." She snarled.

Prue snorted.

"Hecate, if I had a dollar for every demon down here who's plans had been foiled by my sisters, I would be a billionaire. You will remain here."

Zankou gave her an approving glance as Hecate retreated, looking furious.

"Bacarra, Dogan, Troxa, Rex, you will all come with me." Prue said, standing, and the two demons and two warlocks eagerly fell into step.

"Prue...why don't we go off and do something after we vanquish your sisters?" Rex asked.

Prue glared at him.

"Make no mistake Rex, you are only here because you may be useful. Do not cause me to regret that decision." She sneered.

Dogan and Troxa smiled at the shamed warlock, enjoying his cowing.

"Seer, Barbas, you are in charge of the children." Prue said as she flamed out.

Barbas peered worriedly at Wyatt, who was playing with some of the Alchemist's old potion bottles.

"She wants us to watch those things?" he demanded, and the Seer shrugged helplessly, as Chris began to cry.

"Let me help." Masselin growled.

The Seer fired a jet of electricity at him, and he pulled back, cowed.

"No. He probably just needs changed." She said, reached in and plucked him out.

As most demons had never seen babies, they all gathered round as Barbas picked up Wyatt.

"What do I do with this one?" he asked, curious as to what his fears were.

"You don't read their fears for a start, or the Source will punish you." The Seer said, as Barbas held Wyatt over his head.

Wyatt looked down, and suddenly his mouth twisted. He was then sick, the vomit travelling over Barbas' head and landing on the Crone's robes.

"You disgusting little creature." She snarled as she observed the milky looking substance dripping down her robes as the other demons laughed at her misfortune.

"Good child." Barbas said, thoroughly glad he hadn't been sick on him.

"You're obviously squeezing his stomach you asshole. I'm assuming he has a stomach." Abraxas said, changing form fury to pondering the possibility.

"Put him down, and pass me one of those nappy things that aren't nappies." The Seer said, as she cleaned Chris up.

"Maybe something they ate has made them ill." One of the Grimlocks theorised.

"Perhaps. I'm surprised we aren't all ill with Ludlow's cooking." Dantalian sighed.

Ludlow sent her a dirty look as Barbas lifted Chris up. The Seer got one of the wet pant things mortals used to encourage kids to go to the loo, but until they stopped the river of fire that was an ornament in the loo, they couldn't very well put the kids in there. Besides, they were too small to reach it. She turned back to see Barbas lifting Chris up in an unadvisable place.

"Um...Barbas I suggest you hold him a bit further up." She advised.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

Zankou sniggered.

"Because you're holding him where his bladder is."

At that moment, the toddler then couldn't keep it in and jet of urine splashed into Barbas' face, to the hilarity of all the demons.

"I did warn you." The Seer warned as she set the boy down and put the new pants on.

Zankou laughed as Barbas stood there, stunned and dripping wet.

"This is the most embarrassing moment of my entire life." He said, and stormed off.

"Ass...hole...." Chris muttered.

The Seer looked at the boy in surprise, as did Wyatt, who still looked ill.

"His first word?" Litvack asked.

"And it's a profanity? Oh, he'll make a fine demon!" Ludlow said happily.

The Seer smiled.

"Yes, he is an asshole. Good boy. Now, get a bucket for his brother and let us await the Source's arrival."

XX

Paige orbed them down into the room where Prue held court, which was crawling with demons.

"God she's been busy." Paige muttered.

"That she has." Coop agreed as previously vanquished demons milled about.

Cole peered in.

"The boys are up the top, beside Prue's throne. The Seer and Zankou are babysitting them." He said.

"At least they look human, even if she does have a bad hairstyle. What about our powers?" Paige asked.

"There's a box beside Prue's throne." Cole said.

"Will they be in there?"

"Possibly." He admitted.

"What do we do?" Coop asked, looking anxiously at his nephews.

"We go in. I'll go in first, draw them to me. You two make for the throne and get the box and the boys." He said, transforming into Belthazor.

Paige squeezed his arm.

"Dont betray us ok?" she asked.

He sniffed, as if offended and rushed in, firing an energy ball at one of the guards at the door.

"Belthazor! Seize him!" Barbas yelled as he came back from the bathroom.

Energy balls began flying as the demons tried to take him down, especially Raynor and Andras.

"Now!" Coop barked, and he and Paige rushed in, going up the line between the demons who were chasing after Cole.

"A Cupid! Kill him!" Death stormed, and demons split after him.

Paige kept running as Coop created a shield around himself, and Belthazor went on a defensive, holding off Shax, Raynor and the Necromancer at once.

"One of the witches! Stop her!" The Crone yelled, joining Zankou and the Seer beside the boys.

"Wyatt, Chris, it's your aunt Paige! Get out of here!" she screamed as she dove for the throne.

Wyatt, hearing his aunts voice, took hold of his brother.

"NO!" The Crone hissed.

Masselin then went straight for them, and gestured, and black energy streamed from the boys.

"Their spirits are strong for ones so young...very tasty." He said sadistically.

"NO!" Paige screamed as she got the box, determined to save her nephews.

Barbas then flashed into existence before her.

"Ah you fear losing the boys, you fear it is your fault if they die..." he said interestedly.

Paige shook her head and opened the box, to reveal three glowing balls of energy, which went upward, one going into her.

"PAIGE!"

She turned to see Coop, surrounded by demons and covered by his shield, pointing at Shax, who had just fired an energy ball. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"He killed one of you witches, and now he shall kill another!" The Tall Man gloated.

She raised her hands defensively as the ball neared, and jagged bolts of lightning erupted from them, destroying the energy ball, and crashing into Shax, Kellman and Sykes, throwing them across the room.

"Whitelighter scum." Kane growled, conjuring his bow.

Paige looked at her hands in surprise, then turned to blast Masselin, who was still drawing on Wyatt and Chris. The ugly demon was thrown across the room, landing on top of Raynor and allowing Belthazor to shimmer to Paige's side. Coop flashed to her side, and they combined their powers to try and take down the Seer, the Crone and Zankou, who all created a powerful shield to defend the children.

"Wyatt, shield!" Coop yelled, and the boy created his shield around him and Chris.

"Wyatt!" Paige yelled, trying to call for them

"It wont work until your sisters reactivate your powers. They're inside you all again, they're just dormant." Belthazor explained as the demons surged towards them, eager for blood.

Zankou left the shield and fired three energy balls at them all, ready to kill.

"Paige, I don't want to leave them either, but we have to go if we want to help Piper and Phoebe before Prue kills them!" Coop urged.

Paige looked at her two nephews, then reluctantly orbed them out, allowing the energy balls to pass through where they were standing.

"Bollocks!" Zankou raged.

The Seer held up her hand.

"Calm Zankou. They didn't get the boys, and provided the source destroys her sisters before they activate their powers, it wont matter." She soothed.

The Crone sniffed.

"This shield isn't going down easily." She said, as Wyatt's shield zapped her.

"Aside from that, we will have no problems explaining things to the Source...provided she succeeds..." Xar said worriedly.

"Bollocks." Chris said from within the shield.

The Seer and the Crone went pale and all the demons looked at the child in wonder.

"No matter what, we will have trouble explaining that." Dantalian said meekly.

The demons all then looked at each other, as if debating who should tell the Source her nephew now knew two profanities.

XX

"I think we've got it!" Phoebe said excitedly.

"Good, because Prue's just shown up with friends!" Billie said, looking out of the window.

The others were all standing with weapons, Darryl and Henry with guns, Leo with his hands raised in order to use his electrokinesis and Victor with an athame they had found. Billie rushed to join them as Phoebe and Piper held hands, preparing to use their spell.

Prue marched up the path and flicked open the doors. She and her escort stormed in.

"They'll be in the attic." She said.

The party of five swept up the stairs.

"They're coming!" Billie said.

Phoebe and Piper nodded at each other.

"_Hear now the words of the witches_

_The secrets we hid in the night_

_Ancient gods are invoked here_

_The great work of magic is sought_

_In this night and in this hour_

_We call upon the ancient power_

_Give your powers to we sisters three_

_We want the power, give us the power_!"

As they finished, the door banged open, scattering the things they had put behind it.

"Honey, I'm home!" Prue said with an evil smile.

"Prue?" Victor asked.

It was one thing to be told his dead daughter was back from the dead, it was another thing to see it.

"Dad?" Prue asked, before the Source regained control.

"Did you hear that?" Phoebe demanded.

"Yes. She's still in there."

Prue shook her head angrily, then blasted Victor, Henry and Darryl out of the way. Leo growled and fired a jet of electricity at her, as Troxa, Dogan, Rex and Bacarra entered the attic.

"Give us back our kids Prue!" Leo roared, as she deflected his attack from her.

"Not a chance Leo." She sneered, narrowing her eyes.

"Did your spell work?" Victor asked as the other bad guys surged in.

"I really hope so." Phoebe said as Billie threw Rex over the room with her powers.

Piper stood up and blasted at Troxa. Troxa wheezed as the air was knocked from him and sent him spiralling across the attic.

"Oh, we're back!" she said happily.

Phoebe fired a bolt of hatred at Dogan, who cursed as the painful blast hit him.

"Boo, I don't hate you enough to fry you." She said, levitating out of the way of his energy ball.

Leo was still laying into Prue, and she was getting bored. She conjured a fireball with the other hand and blasted Leo with it, and he went cursing across the room to smash into the wall. She looked down at Leo disdainfully as she went forward to finish him.

Then, she staggered.

"Piper, Phoebe, daddy, help me!" the good portion of Prue shouted anxiously.

"Prue..." Piper said, distracted, as was Phoebe and Victor.

Rex then blasted Phoebe over the room, sending her shrieking through the air, and Troxa swiped at Piper with an athame that sliced a deep gash in her leg.

"Bastard!" she cursed, as the Source regained control.

Victor slid along the floor, and Henry and Darryl were then flicked to join him.

"Ow. I'm beginning not to like this family." Henry complained.

"You get used to it." Darryl assured him, and shot at Prue.

She simply flicked the bullet away.

"Time for you to go...all of you. That will hopefully kill Prue within me and allow me to rule in peace." She snarled.

"Prue! You are still my little girl!" Victor called.

There was a second of hesitation, but Prue was still too weak from taking control to make her plea.

"Hey, pick on someone your own size!" Billie called, throwing things at Prue.

Prue turned, forgetting her would-be victims to focus on the young witch.

"Like you?" she asked evilly, then blasted Billie with a fireball.

Billie shot across the room, smashing into the window then toppling to the floor.

"We need Paige to vanquish Rex and Bacarra!" Phoebe yelled to Piper as Prue came for them.

As if in answer to her plea, Paige orbed in with Belthazor and Coop. Coop growled at Troxa and a jet of energy emitted from his ring and shot into Troxa's chest, and he started to pull. Troxa gasped and grabbed at it, as Coop tried to pull his heart out. Belthazor fired an energy ball, and Bacarra couldn't escape it in time. The ball hit him head on, and with a cry he vanished into flames.

"Yay, we killed one!" Paige said as she joined her sisters.

Leo then surged back, firing electricity at Prue. Prue turned to face him, and Victor smashed Rex on the head, while Belthazor headed for the Dogan.

"Prue or Dogan?" Paige asked.

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other.

"We think Prue is still in there. Dogan it is." Piper said.

"_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free!_"

Dogan, who was about to fire an energy ball, suddenly stooped and grasped at his stomach as a beam of energy blasted out from it, leading him to burst into flames and vanish. Belthazor turned and started to fire energy balls at Prue, and she started deflecting them as well.

"Do we get her?" Phoebe asked, and Piper nodded.

Paige attacked with electricity, joining Leo, while Phoebe used her emotion projection and Piper used her blasting power. The attacks, combined with Belthazor's, were breaking down her shield, and Rex was slowly coming around, while Troxa was close to being vanquished too. Prue was trapped in the middle, but her defensive powers were still too strong for them to get to her.

"Vanquishing spell?"

Piper shook her head.

"No...but we can use the power of three, it should banish her."

The three joined hands, as Prue continued to deflect the attacks.

"_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_!"

Prue's shields started to flicker as her sisters began to repeat the chant. Darryl, seeing an opportunity, raised his gun and fired.

The bullet lanced through Prue's leg, making her scream in pain. She shot Darryl a furious look, then a panicked look at her sisters.

"Prudence..." Paige said, intending to scare her.

Prue flicked Coop away from Troxa and then flamed Rex and him out, before flaming out herself.

"That...was close." Piper said tiredly.

"Why didn't you vanquish her?" Leo asked as he picked himself up.

"Prue is in there, our Prue. We would be killing our own sister." Piper said.

Leo sighed and pulled her to him, while the others got to their feet.

"Billie..." Paige mumbled, rushing to her charge and healing her.

"Thanks Darryl." Phoebe said clapping his arm.

"Are you alright?" Coop asked in concern, holding her.

She nodded, as Billie woke up.

"Boy, you weren't kidding when you said Prue was a nasty Source were you?" Victor asked, looking puffed out.

"No dad, we weren't. But the point is, we might be able to help her, get her back. We'll just have to figure out how." Piper said.

"I saw the boys. They're...as well as they can get in these circumstances." Paige said.

Piper nodded, thankful for that small mercy.

"So, are we going to try to save Prue?" Henry asked curiously.

Paige looked at her sisters and smiled.

"Yes we are. But, she's still our greatest enemy. We might not be able to, she's so powerful. We may have to destroy her." She counselled.

Billie looked thoughtful.

"Well provided we stick together, I reckon we can come up with a plan to save Prue from evil. After all, you're the Charmed Ones." She said.

"That may be, but Prue is a Charmed One and the Source. And she isn't going to give up easily. She'll be back." Cole warned.

Piper exhaled, looking determined.

"Then we'll be waiting for her." She vowed.

XX

Prue flashed into the underworld, and saw signs of a recent battle.

"Kane!" she bellowed, clutching her leg.

He rushed to her, and immediately began to heal her wound.

"What happened here?" she asked as she sat at her throne, her wound gone.

"Paige entered with the Cupid and Belthazor. They tried to steal back the children, but we repulsed them." The Crone said.

Prue sniffed, irritated.

"Did your plan succeed my lady?" the Whisarmer asked.

"No. But I was close. I will not fail the next time. They will be stopped, and next time they will all die, and the good portion of me along with it." She spat.

They all bowed, seeing that most of them were dismissed.

"Bollocks!" a voice cried out.

Prue looked around, to see where the cry had come from. She then saw the location, and growled.

"Why is my nephew coming out with profanities?" she growled menacingly.

The Seer looked at Zankou, who sighed and the two did rock paper scissors. The Seer used scissors to his paper, and he cursed.

"Damn you Seer. I bet you cheated." He moaned.

"Of course I did. Have fun explaining this. Bye for now!" she said, and vanished.

Zankou sighed miserably and turned to face Prue, who was looking at him angrily.

"Ass...hole!" Chris said helpfully.

"Oh shut up you." Zankou moaned, and Prue created a fireball.

**Prue was foiled at the last moment. However, there is a lot more to be done before she's through as the Source, I promise you that.**

**Phoebe and Paige's powers have both advanced, and Darryl has returned to San Francisco, and Victor has also come to help. Who else will appear to lend a hand in coming chapters?**

**I hope you liked the demons babysitting the boys. I felt they needed to learn what its like to look after young children. And Chris coming out with his first two words is inspired from Meet the Fockers. I hope you liked it!**

**So, proivded she doesnt amuse herself by killing Zankou, what will be Prue's next move? Will the Charmed Ones even the massive odds against them by vanquishing any more of Prue's demons? Will love bloom in the manor? (As to the last, I think it may begin next chapter, but we'll just have to wait and see).**

**Hope you enjoyed this, and I hope to update soon! Until then, please read and review! (Please let the email come through this time!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Six

Nexus Point

"Your sister?" a Leprechaun demanded.

"Yes, she's become the Source. And we're giving you a warning now...just because she used to be a Charmed One doesn't mean she's a good guy." Paige warned.

Riley looked upset. Ever since they had found out that the Triad had been behind Billie and Christy, the magical community had been very apologetic and grovelly to the sisters...not that they minded, they still hadn't forgiven them for abandoning them.

"We'll keep a lookout lass." He promised.

"Good." Paige said, and orbed out.

XX

Phoebe stuck her head into the fairy kingdom entrance, looking at the large kingdom inside the tree trunk.

"Prue is back from the dead and has gone evil. We're giving you a heads up, so if she tries to recruit you, you wont believe her...like you did with Billie and Christy." She added bitterly.

The fairy queen looked down at her sheepishly, and Phoebe couldn't repress a small bit of satisfaction of reminding them of the fact that they had abandoned them the previous year. The sisters had fought to protect them and their allies for years, but one bad day and they turned on them. As such, the sisters made them feel guilty at every opportunity. The fairies assured her they would remember her warning and she headed off.

XX

Piper wrinkled her nose as she entered the ogre's den.

"Why do I get the jobs that stink? And in this case literally?" she cursed.

She was worried, she didn't deny that. Prue may still have good inside her, but she knew that wouldn't last long. And she had Chris and Wyatt. Motherly panic kept her from sleeping as she feared what sort of damage their kidnap could be doing to her children. And she remembered with a shudder the other Chris, who had been so traumatised by what his evil big brother had done in the future, and vowed to herself that she would not allow that to happen for both her son's sake. But there was the problem of Prue. Yes, she was the Source, but she was still her sister, and the good part of Prue was still fighting. Should Piper consign her sister to hell, or should she try and rescue her? Or was it possible that they could get Prue back?

She headed into the den, and the smell was nearly enough to overwhelm her. However, she was so consumed with worry for her children and the possibility that she could get her big sister back that she didn't notice much as she met the three lead ogres.

"Look, my sister Prue has taken over the underworld and has become the Source. So, whatever happens, don't listen to her and stay away." Piper warned, cutting to the chase and wanting to get out of there quickly.

The ogres assured her that they would heed her warning, allowing her to quickly make her escape and flee the horrid smell.

XX

"You've got to listen to me! Prue has been resurrected as the Source of All Evil, and we're giving you a warning in case you believe her over the Charmed Ones!" Billie cried.

"We believe you over the Charmed Ones, and it turned out you were the villains all along." One nymph said resentfully.

Billie looked at the nymph resentfully.

"Look, I was manipulated into that, and I'm sorry we made you seem like the villains to the sisters, but we're warning you for your own good so she doesn't decide to use you as target practice!" Billie said urgently.

The nymphs looked uncertain, until Kevin, who had gone with her, stepped forward.

"Look, I'm an Elder, and I can vouch for Billie being back on the right side. So stop giving her a hard time, she came here to warn you." He said, and the nymphs began debating among themselves as the two left.

"Thank you." Billie said with a smile.

"It's alright. They shouldn't keep picking on you...even if it is slightly your own fault." Kevin teased.

Billie sent him a disdainful glance, then smiled slightly.

"They're right not to trust me you know." She said.

Kevin shook his head.

"Billie, you turned on your sister and saved the sisters. That should be good enough for anyone." He said.

Billie smiled, took his cheek in her hand and kissed his other cheek. Kevin blushed furiously as she smiled at him.

"Thank you." She said, heading off.

"You're welcome." He sighed.

True, he'd had a crush on her for a while, but he hadn't made that known because of the ban on witches and Whitelighters falling in love. She was tough, smart, funny and beautiful, and was technically only a few years older than he was. But by all rights she was technically the same age...but was she genuinely interested or was she just thankful?

Billie watched Kevin out the side of her eye. She knew he was off limits, but she found him sweet, funny, attractive and caring. Not that she would admit it...

XX

Prue whirled several building blocks above the boys heads with her powers. They were quite sweet, and she was amused by how much trouble the two of them had caused when she had gone off trying to kill their parents. She frowned as she pondered whether her bond to them was because of her good part. She knew that eventually being down here in the Underworld would start to turn them, and as they grew, they would become a powerful force for evil in years to come.

Zankou knelt down beside her, shooting Chris a dirty look as he did so, because he'd received a couple of fireballs where it mattered most due to the bad language the toddler had picked up.

"My lady, Hecate is sounding out support for a coup. She is claiming that the bond your other self feels to your sisters is preventing you from destroying them." He warned.

Prue rolled her eyes.

"I knew I shouldn't have resurrected her. Hmm...keep an eye on her. If I go against her now I wont find out who may wish to work with her. And get me the Seer. I have a plan to destroy the Charmed Ones." She said, as Wyatt and Chris looked at her in a slightly scared way.

XX

"Piper, can I talk to you?" Billie asked as Piper brewed up a couple of potions for demons they were facing.

"Sure, what's up?" she asked, throwing another couple of ingredients into the pot.

Billie looked nervously about, and Piper smiled.

"Sweetie, I'm trying to stop my evil sister and save my kids. I can only schedule a few minutes for this, so spill." She said.

Billie sighed.

"Well, you've fallen for someone you shouldn't have right? I mean, you and Leo..." she said.

Piper grinned.

"Oh, finally!" she exclaimed.

"What?"

"Billie honey, no offence, but you and Kevin aren't really subtle. And did you forget that Phoebe got her empathy powers back? She could feel the two of you had it bad for each other." Piper teased with a smile.

Billie looked at Piper, taken aback. She could hardly figure things out about her own feelings for the young attractive Elder, and here Piper was, claiming she and her sisters had known the two of them were falling for each other all along.

"We haven't got it bad for each other! I mean, sure, I like him, but..." she spluttered.

Piper smiled, then looked seriously at Billie.

"Look Billie...the Elders don't like witches and Whitelighters getting together, and I still think Kevin is relatively junior. But if you two love each other...I say go for it. Never give up on love." Piper advised with a smile.

Billie looked at her as she left the kitchen, pondering...

XX

Prue looked up the spell she needed.

"That's the one. With this, I shall go back and crush the Charmed Ones before they become a threat." She said.

The Seer looked concerned.

"My lady, that is very risky. It might erase you entirely, not to mention the children. And what will that achieve?" she asked.

Prue smiled.

"It will achieve the eradication of the Charmed Ones and they will be extinct from the timeline. And then all we will have to do is go into the manor and finish them off." She said confidently.

"Yes my lady, but you might erase the children!" Zankou protested.

Prue turned to face him, then staggered.

_You cant erase them, I wont let you!_

The Source regained control over her body as she forced good Prue back into her box.

"I need rid of this as well!" she cursed.

Barbas nodded.

"Yes my lady. Will you go alone?" he asked, eager not to babysit again.

"Ass...hole..." Chris cooed, to Zankou's snort, and Prue smiled a bit.

"No. I will take Questran, Kellman, Antosis and Sarpedon with me." She said, beckoning those demons.

Zankou bent down to her ear.

"It turns out Eames...supports a change in leadership. Apparently the fool desires a change." He warned.

Prue nodded.

"Very well, he too can come." She said, intending to vanquish him once she had done with her sisters.

She headed for the Grimmoire.

"What about the kids?" The Crone asked.

"Seer, watch them. And do not let Zankou teach Chris any more expletives." Prue hissed as she turned through the book.

"You make one mistake." Zankou grumbled.

"Ass...hole..." Chris cooed from his pen, and Wyatt laughed slightly as a vein started to pound in Zankou's head.

Prue rolled her eyes.

"And do not let Masselin near them either." She growled, glaring at the scary demon.

He hissed, and Prue's eyes travelled to Hecate who was looking at her speculatively.

"My lady, perhaps I should remain behind in case your brother in law attacks?" Eames asked.

Prue narrowed her green eyes.

"Some reason you'd rather not go and wipe out our greatest threat Eames? One might get suspicious..." she said suggestively.

Eames shook his head, but as he did, he sent an urgent glance at Hecate, who ignored him. So they were up to no good.

"Now, let me concentrate on finding the right spell." Prue said, as she flicked through the book.

XX

Piper smiled as Billie pestered her with questions about going out with a Whitelighter. It reminded her of her and Leo all those years before...mind you back then, Prue hadn't been evil, and she hadn't had two kids, who were languishing in her sister's evil grasp.

"Billie, I say go for it. You and Kevin both like each other, and by all rights he is technically near enough the same age. Take a risk girl!" she encouraged.

Billie smiled, and considered asking Kevin out. It didn't seem right with Prue trying to kill all of them but if she was after them, was there any time like the present?

They entered the attic, to find Coop looking through the book, with Cole explaining to Henry how Prue had become the Source. Clearly, the time travel bit was giving him a bit of trouble. Piper didn't blame the poor soul. It was hard enough to get your head around it if you were magical, never mind a mortal. And she hated time travel. To this day she was convinced the best thing that had come of it was allowing her to meet her adult son who'd saved them.

Sighing sadly, she heard Leo enter.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked.

"Where'd you like me to start?" she asked.

Leo smiled half-heartedly and hugged her.

"How about the sigh?" he asked.

"Oh I'm just feeling sorry for Henry. Cole is explaining time travel to him." She said, nodding at her befuddled looking brother in law.

Victor, who'd been taking an inventory of old weapons with Darryl, looked up at her.

"I've got a sore head just from eavesdropping." He added, and Piper grinned despite herself.

"So this Tempus guy brought Prue back by changing time?" Henry asked.

"Yes. Technically." Cole said, also looking slightly confused.

"My head hurts." Henry moaned as Paige entered.

"You get used to it babe, don't worry." She soothed as she set down more potion ingredients.

Piper smiled.

"He's going to hate time travel as much as I do." She said.

Leo frowned at her.

"Is that whats upsetting you?" he asked shrewdly.

She looked at her restored husband and nodded slightly.

"Its just...the other Chris came from the future, risked everything and endured us being horrible and untrusting of him for months to try and save Wyatt and the rest of us. Yeah, you stopped Gideon, but what happens if Prue taking them turns Wyatt evil? Or turns Chris evil too? It's not as if we'll get another future kid to save us. And if the boys do turn, then the other Chris will have died for nothing and..." she said, tears forming as her frustration with the entire situation finally caught up with her.

Leo kissed her forehead, as Billie and Paige looked at her sympathetically.

"He wont have died for nothing, and neither of the boys is going to go evil, we love them too much. And there's still enough good in Prue that she's defending them when she can, so they're still quite safe." Leo soothed.

Piper frowned. She'd lost a son once before. And that was an experience she and Leo didn't want to repeat.

XX

Phoebe collected a few of her things from her office, such as her diary and her contacts. With Prue gunning for all of them, she had decided to get everything out of her way that she might be able to use to get to her, and if she found her diary she would finds that she cared for and could try and lure her into a trap. As such, she was getting stuff out of harm's way.

"Phoebe, what are you doing?" Elise asked, entering her office.

Phoebe started as she came in.

"Elise! I'm jumpy enough!" she scolded, putting things into her bag.

Elise frowned, then closed the door and sat down, pointing for Phoebe to follow suit. Phoebe looked at the door longingly, sighed, then did so.

"What's up?" Phoebe asked.

Elise narrowed her eyes.

"Phoebe, I haven't had a column from you in days! And you love your job. So, that leads me to believe something strange is going on. Is it Homeland Security again?" Elise asked.

Phoebe frowned. Elise wasn't happy with the explanation Phoebe had given coming back to work after their mysterious return from the dead the year before. And, as she had a hated cousin in Homeland Security she wasn't happy with Phoebe being associated with them anyway. Phoebe looked at her boss musingly. Elise was her best friend at the paper, and had accepted her back without murmur, and she said she was simply relieved to have her back safe.

"Look Elise, I've got some big stuff going on at the moment, I mean aside from the baby coming. What's going on has nothing to do with Homeland Security though, I promise. It's just some really bad stuff, thats all I can tell you." Phoebe said, hoping her friend would drop the subject.

Elsie shook her head slowly.

"No, Phoebe. I know you, and whatever is going on has you seriously scared. And it's making me worried, and I don't get worried. You can tell me." Elise said gently, and Phoebe was touched by her concern.

"That's really sweet Elise, but..." Phoebe said, and then thought about it.

Elise had given her a job. Elise herself had said that she was like the daughter she had never had. She had never questioned the endless family emergencies that Phoebe had rushed out to, and had encouraged Phoebe to live her dreams as much as possible. Elise also trusted Phoebe enough to leave the paper in her hands while she was away. So...why not tell Elise the truth?

As the thought, incredulous though it seemed, occurred to her, Phoebe felt it was the right thing to do, especially with the very real possibility of them all dying for good this time. So, taking a deep breath, she faced Elise right in the eyes.

"Look Elise, you've been such a great friend all these years. And I'm touched that you look after me so well. So...I'm going to tell you the truth. Actually, I probably should have told you years ago now I come to think of it. So, here goes...Elise...I'm a witch!" Phoebe said.

As she did so she felt a great weight lift from her shoulders, and it felt right to have told her. Elise looked at Phoebe blankly.

"You're a what?" she asked, looking perplexed.

"A witch." Phoebe repeated.

Elise shrugged.

"Well thats up to you Phoebe. I never thought of you as one of the followers of Wicca though." She said pensively.

Phoebe then realised Elise had gotten the wrong end of the stick.

"No Elise, I'm not a practitioner. I'm a proper witch." She said.

And to prove her point she conjured a ball of thankfulness and sent it into Elise, who gasped slightly as it made contact. She looked at Phoebe, as if seeing her in an entirely new light.

"Phoebe?" she gasped.

"That was how much I appreciate everything you've done for me Elise." Phoebe said.

Elise sat back, feeling the warm glow inside her as a result of Phoebe's power.

"You're...a witch?" she asked in confusion.

"Yep. A full time witch, with magical powers and everything. Piper and Paige are witches too, we're known as the Charmed Ones. But you cant tell anyone!" she insisted.

Elise sighed slightly, then smiled at Phoebe.

"Phoebe...I'm honoured that you chose to tell me. I wont betray your secret." She soothed.

Phoebe grinned and hugged Elise, who sat back after Phoebe broke contact.

"Well...I never expected that. I thought there was something off about you...but I could never have guessed." She commented calmly.

Phoebe grinned.

"You're taking it a lot better than others have. Jason included." She admitted.

Elise snorted.

"Phoebe, I've seen some funny things in my time. And now you've just shown me that magic is real. So, all your 'family emergencies'...?"

Phoebe nodded.

"I've had to go and be a witch. We're the strongest good witches ever apparently, and we have to vanquish demons and warlocks on an almost weekly basis. When I 'died' we were fighting a very powerful demon who nearly got us." She said.

"So...demons are the bad guys basically?" Elise asked.

Phoebe nodded.

"And when I didn't come into work a few months ago, it's because we were on the run because Billie had been turned evil by demons." She explained.

Elise's eyes widened in realisation.

"Jason's conference..."

Phoebe winced.

"Yeah, I was possessed by an evil spirit. And Cole was a demon. He became the Source of All Evil actually, um, the Sauron or the Palpatine of our world." She explained, hoping Elise would get the picture.

Elise looked flabbergasted.

"Everything makes so much sense now...so will your daughter be a witch too?" she asked curiously.

Phoebe nodded.

"She should be. I don't know what powers she'll get, she might get mine or Coops. All my powers are premonition, levitation, empathy and the one I used on you was emotion projection, but I only just got that." She explained.

"So, are Piper's children...?" Elise asked.

"Witches too? Yep. Both of them. Um, you remember three years ago, there was the tall brown haired guy, very thin, slightly neurotic?" Phoebe asked.

"Vaguely."

"Well that was Chris from the future." She explained.

Elise clasped her head.

"What?"

"Yeah, we had trouble believing it too. But little Chris who you see at the house? The cute guy was him from the future." She explained.

"This makes my head spin. So after Wyatt was born...?"

"Oh, that was demons trying to steal him." She said.

"Steal a baby?" Elise exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's going to be the most powerful witch ever according to the prophecies. The bad guys wanted to get him." Phoebe explained.

"That's sick." Elise said, scratching her head.

Phoebe smiled as her boss took it all in.

"Are you alright Elise?" she asked.

Elise looked a little pale, but nodded.

"Yes. And I'm glad you told me all this. So whenever you need to go, just say the word." Elise said.

Phoebe smiled and got to her feet.

"Thanks. You're a great friend."

Elise waved it off.

"So what's going on? Why haven't you been sending in your column? A new demon or something?"

Phoebe sighed and shook her head.

"No. Worse. There are three very powerful demons known as the Triad. They were behind Billie going evil. They escaped us frying them and they...resurrected Prue."

Elise's eyes widened.

"Your dead sister? You people can do that?" she demanded.

"Our side cant, we're the good guys remember? The Triad did, and made Prue the Source of All Evil. Now, she's trying to kill us." Phoebe said simply.

Elise looked at her with wide eyes and sat down, and Phoebe laughed.

XX

Prue finally found the spell she was looking for. Her demon escort formed up behind her.

"_Return me from this time_

_To a world before mine_

_Take me back across the wastes_

_To visit the life through once I raced_."

The group then flashed back in a nexus of swirling energy, with flights flashing around them. Prue smiled as they travelled backwards and entered the manor, about eight years earlier.

"Where are they?" Sarpedon demanded.

"Phoebe, where are my keys?" Prue's voice called from the kitchen.

"On the shelf, look." Phoebe said exasperatedly.

"Right, where's the inventory for Quake?" Piper demanded urgently.

Prue smiled as she heard herself and her sisters worry about work when they were waiting to destroy them.

"Let's attack!" Kellman urged.

"Patience." Prue hissed, as a much younger version of herself came through, her hair to her shoulders, and dressed for work at Bucklands. Piper still had a stringy fringe and was dressed in her manger's uniform for Quake, and Phoebe was still in her pyjamas and had a bob.

"What the...?" the young Prue asked.

"What's going on?" Phoebe demanded, looking between her Prue and the other one worriedly.

"An intervention." Prue said, conjuring an energy ball.

She threw the energy ball and hit the past Prue. Prue spiralled through the air and smashed into the wall, before dropping down and going still. Prue grinned, and felt a small gasp as the good Prue inside her died. Piper screamed and raised her hands as Kellman fired one of his jagged balls, freezing it in midair. Phoebe had rushed to Prue, and Prue smiled evilly and fired a second energy ball, blasting her younger sister through the wall, where she lay still. Piper looked at them in panic, and Prue advanced on her slowly.

"Losing the children is worth destroying the Charmed Ones." She sneered, thrilled that good Prue was no longer challenging her.

She then fired an energy ball and Piper was blown through into the kitchen. She smiled as she saw blood seep from both her good self and Phoebe, and grinned at the odd angle Piper's neck was at.

"We have just destroyed the Charmed Ones." She purred.

XX

"I'm glad you told me Phoebe. Good luck getting back the kids...and with your sister." Elise said clapping her shoulder.

"Thanks Elise. I appreciate it." She said, heading for the door.

Elise then leapt in front of her and slammed shut the door as Phoebe opened it.

"What?" Phoebe demanded.

"Look!" Elise cried.

Phoebe looked down and saw that her feet had vanished.

"Oh, not good!" she cried urgently.

"What's happening?" Elise demanded hysterically.

"I think...I think that Prue has wiped us out some time in the past, hence I'm disappearing in the present. Phone Leo!" Phoebe urged as her legs continued to disappear.

Elise did so, and watched as her friend slowly faded out.

"Hello?" Leo answered.

"Hello, Leo. It's Elise. Phoebe is disappearing!" Elise screeched.

And with that, Phoebe gave her a forlorn look and she was gone.

"Oh no." Elise said softly.

XX

Leo frowned at the phone.

"Elise, if you think I can control my sister in law..."

"No, she's actually disappeared! She said Prue must have killed her in the past!" Elise yelled.

Leo was now even more confused.

"Wait, you know about Prue?"

"Yes, I also know she's a witch! And she's gone! Where is she!?"

Leo realised what Prue must have done.

"Get over here! And bring Phoebe's stuff too!" he ordered and dashed up the stairs.

XX

Elise looked at the spot at where Phoebe had vanished. She picked up her clothes and her bag, and dashed to the car, ignoring the strange looks from the other workers. Ah well. When Elise had been told about Phoebe's secret, she had accepted that her life was going to change. Figuring she may as well get used to it, she arranged Phoebe's clothes in the car, and drove for Phoebe's sisters house.

XX

"Piper, Paige!" Leo yelled racing up the stairs.

He barged into the attic and everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked.

"Whoa!" Henry exclaimed, looking at Paige's legs.

"Oh no, have I been killed again and no one bothered to tell me?" she pouted.

"Paige, what's going on?" Henry asked, looking at his wife desperately.

"Now don't panic honey, we will fix this!" Paige said, looking as though she was trying to convince herself.

Piper then felt a bit weightless and looked down at her own legs, which were also disappearing.

"Aw crap." She complained.

"Piper don't worry, we'll fix this. We'll have time to fix this before the boys are wiped out..." Leo said worriedly.

"Oh no, I never thought of that Leo! Will they be alright?" Piper demanded as Paige was urgently trying to calm Henry down.

"Yes, Piper, we'll fix this. And besides, there's a leeway of time before time corrects itself, provided we go quickly, nothing will happen to them!" he said forcefully, as his wife vanished from existence.

"Leo...what happened?" Henry demanded.

"They've been wiped from existence." Leo said worriedly, flicking the pages of the book.

"So what do we do?" Coop demanded, worry creasing his face.

"Billie, I need your help. You and me will project back to wherever Prue is and save the girls. You lot, tell them to use this spell to get back here. And Coop, Elise knows Phoebe is a witch, so if she gets here before we've done it, let her in." Leo said.

Billie came up beside Leo.

"How long do we have?" she asked in concern.

"Not long. Come on. We'll need to act fast." He said, worry pounding through him.

"Leo, are they...?" Victor asked, his face full of worry.

"Not if we can help it." Leo said.

"Provided Leo can stop Prue before time reasserts itself, they wont be." Cole said, nodding to Leo.

Leo turned to Billie.

"Billie, concentrate. You need to take us back, to just before Prue attacks the girls, wherever they are." He said.

Billie nodded, took a deep breath, and held Leo's hand. Time suddenly flashed around them, and they emerged downstairs in the manor.

"Whoa." Billie said, shaking her head to clear it.

"Great work. Come on, we need to find the girls." Leo said.

Just as she said that, the three girls emerged from the kitchen and stopped dead.

"_Great _hair." Billie said sarcastically, and Leo hit her arm.

The three younger sisters had stopped dead as evil Prue and her cohort of demons stepped through.

"What the...?" the young Prue asked.

"What's going on?" Phoebe demanded, looking between her Prue and the other one worriedly.

"An intervention." Prue said, conjuring an energy ball.

The energy ball was thrown at good Prue, and Billie stepped forward, flicking the ball into the ceiling. Evil Prue whipped around, hissing.

"You two again? Dont you have anything better to do than annoy me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Not really." Billie said, glaring at her.

"Leo? What's going on?" young Piper asked.

"Go to the Book of Shadows, now!" he yelled, and fired a jet of lightning at Prue.

Prue raised her hand, and nodded for her demons to attack. Kellman conjured several of his vices, and good Prue flicked them back by narrowing her eyes. Sarpedon leapt at the younger girls, and Piper froze him in panic.

"Move!" Billie yelled, flicking Sarpedon into Eames as he dashed at them.

The girls didn't hesitate and ran for the stairs, while Prue continued to deflect Leo's attack. Billie led them to the attack.

"Right, who are you, and why does Leo look so old all of a sudden?" Prue demanded suspiciously.

"We're from the future, and before you ask your evil self is trying to kill us all! We need to hope we succeeded, or otherwise the future you wont get back here to help us!" Billie said as Leo was blown through the door.

"Ow." He moaned.

Prue was coming up stairs, looking murderous.

"We're in trouble. Hurry girls!" Billie pleaded, looking skyward.

XX

Elise just pulled up outside the house when Phoebe flashed back into being as if she'd only just received a lift.

"Phoebe! Thank goodness!" Elise cried, hugging her.

"Elise? What's going on?" she asked, as she headed for the house.

"I was hoping you'd tell me." Elise said, and Phoebe let them in, and beckoned Elise to follow her up to the attic.

"Paige!" Henry cried as she returned.

"See, I told you we'd fix it. Now what?" she asked Piper as Henry hugged her.

Piper growled.

"We're going to have to go and stop Prue." She said, as Kevin orbed down, looking worried.

"Are you guys alright? And where's Billie?" he asked in concern.

At that moment, Phoebe entered with Elise, who jumped at seeing Cole.

"Didnt you tell me he was dead?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh yeah, but Prue resurrected him to get to me." Phoebe explained as Coop kissed her deeply.

"Billie is fine as far as we know, and we're about to go and find out. Phoebe, get your tongue out of Coop's throat and get over here." Piper said irritably.

"Someone's cranky." Phoebe commented as she joined her sisters at the book.

"Well being wiped out by my own big sister tends to do that to me. Come on, we need to go and help Leo and Billie." She said.

"I'm confused." Elsie commented.

"Oh it's quite simple really. Their sister is back from the dead and has been turned evil, and she went back in time to wipe them out of existence, and now they're going back in time to help Leo and Billie, who went back in time already to stop them getting wiped out of existence, and are most likely going to try and turn the tables and wipe evil Prue out of existence." Henry explained, and the girls stopped looking in the book and gazed at him with open mouths and amazed stares.

"I'm a quick study." He grinned.

"You call that simple?" Elise asked, clutching her head and Victor laughed.

"Right, I'll talk to you later Elise. Now:

_Hear the words, hear the rhyme_

_Heed the hope within our mind_

_Send us back to where we'll find_

_What we wish in place and time_."

The sisters then vanished as the others looked on worriedly.

"I think I need a drink." Elise sighed.

"I think we'll join you." Darryl said.

XX

The girls flashed into the attic of nine years previously.

"About time!" Billie scolded.

"Hello to you too." Paige said wryly as Leo hugged Piper.

"I think we beat time, but unless we do something about Prue..." Leo said worriedly.

"Will one of us please explain what is going on?" past Phoebe demanded.

Phoebe looked at her past self and cringed.

"Ooh, my hair was bad." She commented, and the young Phoebe looked very affronted.

"And so was my dress sense." Piper agreed, looking at her past self.

Prue then entered the room with her demons.

"Typical. I should have known you lot would find some way to interfere. Leo, you have a lot to answer for." Prue growled.

"Not as much as you do. Now where are my kids?" Piper asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Kids!?" the past Piper gasped in surprise.

The past girls were looking at each other in shock as the present ones stepped forward, looking murderous.

"Am I pregnant!?" past Phoebe asked loudly.

"Yes we are, now shoosh." Phoebe snapped.

Prue smiled slightly.

"Dont worry Piper, your kids are fine. Wyatt is a bit ill but aside from that no harm has befallen them." She said, and Piper wondered whether it was good Prue who was answering her or not.

"If you harm them, sister or not, I will kill you." Piper spat.

Prue laughed.

"You wont get the chance." She hissed, and hurled an energy ball at her.

Piper snarled and blew the ball up and attacked, knocking Prue backwards with her powers. Phoebe then added to the mix, sending a bolt of love to Piper to give her more energy to defeat Prue, while Paige and Leo let loose with their electrokinesis. Prue snarled and raised a defensive shield, while her demons leered behind her, looking for a gap where they could leap through. Sarpedon then sprang, his clawed weapon slashing towards Paige. Prue squinted and sent him flying to the ground, and Paige nodded at her, as Kellman fired several of his spiked balls at the three past sisters. Past Piper panicked and froze them mid flight, and Billie flicked them back towards the bad guys.

"Wait, have you guys stopped Nicholas yet?" Phoebe demanded as sent a bolt of irritation at Eames.

"Yeah, we did it last week, why?" Past Piper asked in confusion.

"Find the spell in the book then! We can use that to get us back to our time!" Piper growled as she and Leo held Prue off, who was hurtling energy balls at them.

Past Phoebe flicked through the book as Questran, the warlock who'd tried to kill Kit leapt at them. Past Prue squinted and he fell backwards as past Phoebe found the spell.

"Got it!" she cried as Billie flicked Antosis backwards.

The eight of them gathered round the book, with Paige and Leo keeping Prue held back. Prue snarled and created a wave of black energy that scattered their bolts, and she grinned maliciously as she went in for the kill.

"_A time for everything_

_And to everything it's place_

_Return what has been moved_

_Through time and space_!"

"No!" Prue yelled, as the room swirled and she and her demons disappeared.

"She's gone! That's good right?" Billie asked as time swirled around them.

"Um, shouldn't we have stopped by now?" Past Prue asked worriedly.

"I hate time travel." Both Pipers moaned.

They suddenly came to a stop and the room went back to normal.

"Ok...where is everyone?" Billie asked in concern.

Piper looked around. The book was suddenly bigger than it had been a few minutes before, and the attic was relatively cleaner than it had used to be, and old school books appeared to be in some boxes, along with several marked 'kid's things'.

"Um, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..." Paige said.

"Where are we? I mean, we're still in the attic, but where's Coop? Henry? Dad?" Phoebe asked.

"Dad?" Prue asked in confusion.

"Yeah, he's back. Where are we? Where is everyone? Where's Prue?" Past Phoebe asked in confusion.

Piper was about to answer when a hideous green and black demon shimmered into the attic, and stopped in surprise as it saw them. Piper raised her hands to blast it, when it fired a jet of ectoplasm at her, wrapping around her leg.

"Piper!" Past Prue cried in shock, holding onto her future sister.

The group grabbed a hold of Piper, Leo angling to fire a jolt of electricity at the demon. The demon pulled harder, and Piper cursed the fact that she needed to hold onto the others with her hands, or otherwise the demon would be dust by now.

"That's a scavenger demon, what's it doing here?" Billie asked, reaching to flick something at it as it snarled at her.

There was then a flash of orbs and three young people stepped out. The one in the middle, with brown hair, vivid green eyes and dressed casually stepped forward, barely registering the presence of the others in the attic, and flicked the demon away with a powerful blast. The ectoplasm snapped as the demon flew through the air, and a beautiful young woman dressed in summer attire, with warm brown eyes and long, luxurious brown hair stepped forward and raised her hands at the demon. The demon did not explode, nor did it freeze, all it did was slow down.

"Aw crap, not again." She cursed.

The other one grinned slightly, a tall boy with blond hair and brilliant blue eyes. He raised his hand and a wave of glowing energy flashed from them and hit the demon, who screamed as he was vanquished.

The leader grinned down at the pile of bodies on the floor, as they had all fallen over when the ectoplasm band had snapped.

"Chris?" Piper asked in shock, seeing the future son she had lost years before, and still missed, just as much as she missed her baby Chris now.

Chris grinned and pulled her to her feet, hugging her warmly.

"Hey mom, what you doing here?" he asked, as he pulled Billie to her feet.

"I don't really know, Wyatt?" Piper asked as her other son, the good version, pulled his dad to his feet and hugged him fiercely.

"Hey mom." He said, hugging her in greeting.

Leo shrugged at Piper. Somehow, rather than returning to the present, they had overshot and had arrived in the future where there was a new power of three, but who was the young girl?

"Mom!" she said brightly and hugged her, and Piper hugged her awkwardly, looking at Chris for help, but her youngest son was no use to anyone and just sniggered.

"Mom!?" Leo exclaimed, as she turned and hugged him too.

"Hey daddy." The girl said, and Piper looked at her husband weakly. This girl must be their daughter.

"Hey...." Piper said, tailing off as she actually didn't know the girl's name.

The girl looked downcast, and Chris stepped into his little sister's rescue.

"What time did you come from?" he asked.

"The back end of 2006, why?" Leo asked.

"You haven't been born yet sis." Wyatt said, patting her shoulder as she still looked hurt.

"That's not an excuse! Surely they should recognise their own daughter even if I hadn't been born yet." She pouted.

"You're our daughter? But I didn't think you had any other siblings, well the other you, you know what I mean." Piper said to Chris, who smiled.

"He didn't, we do." Chris said, looking at his sister proudly.

Past Phoebe, who had just pulled herself off the floor, not hearing any of the exchange, looked at Chris and smiled.

"Well aren't you just a soothing sight for sore eyes?" she asked, sidling up to him.

Chris made a panicked noise and looked to his mother for help. Piper, ready to come to her son's aid, strode forward, but their Phoebe got their first.

"That's Piper's son." She whispered, and Past Phoebe went pale and leapt back as if shocked.

"Ewww, incest!" she cried in dismay.

Chris backed away from his past aunt and hid behind his big brother, who was laughing.

"What good are you!? You're meant to protect me from things, including flirtatious aunts from the distant past!" Chris scolded him as he and his sister laughed.

"Wyatt, Chris, not that we aren't thrilled to see you, as if you're in this future, it means we must get you back from Prue, but what are we doing here, and would you please tell us your sister's name?" Paige asked, looking at her niece curiously.

"Oh right. This is Melinda, our bratty little sister." Wyatt said teasingly.

"I am not bratty." She said resentfully, glowering at her eldest brother, while Chris rolled his eyes.

"And as to what you're doing here...did all six of you say the spell?" Wyatt asked.

They all looked at each other and nodded.

"Then you overpowered it, so you overshot and came here." Chris finished.

"Wait, so where is evil me, or where am I?" Past Prue asked.

"Oh, are you the Source? That explains a lot." Melinda said in realisation.

Wyatt and Chris shuddered together, and Past Piper raised her eyebrow.

"Remembering Masselin. Subjecting us to him...not cool!" Wyatt told Prue, who looked very confused.

"Masselin!? You subject my kids to Masselin!?" Piper demanded furiously.

"Who's Masselin?" Billie asked eagerly.

"Nasty ugly demon who consumes souls." Leo supplied.

"Yeah, we still get the occasional nightmare of him trying to eat us." Chris said bitterly, looking resentfully at Prue.

Piper looked at her two scared sons and was about to hug them again when there was a loud crash from downstairs.

"I think that's Prue." Paige said worriedly, and they all stood before the door of the attic, waiting for Prue to come to them.

There was then a secondary crash, and a hiss from downstairs.

"Who the hell moved the clock!?" evil Prue demanded angrily.

Chris, Wyatt and Melinda groaned as one.

"Not again. We cant afford to keep fixing that thing." Chris grumbled.

"Who's going to tell mom?" Melinda asked worriedly.

"I already know though." Past Piper said in confusion.

"So do I." Piper agreed with herself.

Wyatt closed his eyes and rubbed his head tenderly.

"Two moms, two Phoebes. Its like some sort of nightmare." He moaned.

"Hey!" Phoebe protested, to the nods of the past Phoebe.

"I agree with him! At last I didn't actually have to endure aunt Phoebe hitting on me before now, I only had to remember it." Chris said resentfully.

"What?" Leo asked, thoroughly confused.

"Later. Prue's coming." Wyatt said, and just then Prue and her demon escort arrived in the attic.

"I don't what you lot did, but it ends here. Wait, who are this three?" she asked in confusion.

"The next generation." Melinda growled and raised her hands.

The demons with Prue froze.

"Crap!" Melinda hissed.

"You were trying to blow them up weren't you?" Chris sniggered.

"Yes." She said irritably.

"Ah well. Hard lines ducky." Prue snarled, and flicked the three of them backwards, sending them skiting to the floor.

Chris growled and flicked Kellman backwards as the demons attacked. Past Prue squinted and sent Eames staggering backwards, while Billie flicked an old hat stand at him. The warlock who had been trying to kill Kit, Questran, sprang over the room towards past Piper, and Melinda glared at him angrily, blasting him as he did so.

"Hey it worked!" she cried, ecstatic.

Paige then saw Sarpedon leap towards her niece.

"Melinda! Demon!" she cried, orbing the demon to the floor.

Prue fired an energy ball at Piper, who snarled and blasted at her in retaliation. Prue hissed and sprang over the room, smacking Piper in the jaw and sending her crashing to the ground.

"Mom!" Chris yelled, and electricity generated from his fingertips and clear waves coalesced around it.

He threw the ball and it hit Prue, sending her hurtling down the stairs, screaming as she went, and she landed with a thud, with electricity crackling all over her body.

"Whoa honey, I'm impressed." Piper said as her evil sister struggled to get back up.

"Shock ball. I figured she wouldn't be able to stop it." Chris grinned.

Kellman fired several of his pincers at Wyatt, who rolled his eyes in boredom and disintegrated them lazily. Kellman grimaced and dashed at Wyatt, who orbed out of the way, then appeared behind Kellman, before orbing him against the wall. Leo fired electricity at Antosis, who fired an energy ball at him in retaliation.

"Dad!" Melinda cried, freezing the ball, then kicking Antosis in the jaw, flipping him over.

"Good kick." Phoebe said, impressed.

"Who do you think taught me?" Melinda asked with a grin, as Phoebe span around and fired a bolt of hatred at Questran who was blown into the wall opposite.

Leo looked at his daughter proudly, then he saw Eames make a beeline straight for her.

"Melinda!" he yelled, tackling her to the ground as Eames threw an athame.

As Leo saved Melinda, Past Piper looked at her future daughter and snarled at Eames, freezing him as he recoiled from his throw. She walked over and kicked him right where it hurt the most, and he dropped to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Not my daughter you bastard." She hissed, and Melinda smiled up at her past mother.

Wyatt and Past Phoebe went back to back, Wyatt disintegrating all of Kellman's projectiles, while Phoebe kicked Sarpedon in the mouth, before spinning and taking his legs out from under him. Melinda blew Questran backwards, while Leo joined her, blasting at Questran with his electricity. Paige and Past Prue held Antosis at bay while Phoebe and Billie fought off a revived Eames. Piper blasted at Prue as she came back up the stairs, and Chris flicked her backwards into the ceiling of the stairway. Prue snarled in fury, and fired a fireball that hit Chris in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

Wyatt and Melinda looked at their wounded brother, who was cursing, then looked at their mother and grinned.

"That wasn't a very good idea." Wyatt said in delight.

"You're about to wish you hadn't done that." Melinda said earnestly.

"Really really wish you hadn't done it." Wyatt smiled.

Prue looked at them, and then at Piper, who had gone scarlet with rage, and her hands were tensing. She raised her hands and snarled.

"Not my son you evil trollop!" Piper yelled furiously, and brought her hands down in a massive blast.

Prue was thrown backwards, screaming as the blast hit her, disintegrating the doorway with it. Prue smashed into the ceiling, leaving a large dent as she fell to the ground then rolled down the stairs, yelping in pain as she did so. Piper rushed down and blasted her sister before she could recover, while Wyatt pulled his brother to his feet.

"Ow." Chris moaned, and Wyatt quickly healed him, before Chris' eyes widened in panic.

"Wyatt!" he yelled, shoving his brother out of the way of one of Eames' arrows.

Wyatt fell to the ground, then looked at the arrow hurtling towards his brother.

"Chris!" he yelled, orbing his borther into his arms.

"Thanks, but why is it every time you save me I usually wind up having to save you?" Wyatt asked in amusement.

Chris then flicked Eames into the wall.

"Because you're reckless and get us into bad situations." He said cheekily, and rolled to his feet, flinging another shock ball at Eames, who crashed over the room.

"Whoa, Piper's pissed!" Past Phoebe said in amazement.

"Yeah, she goes supernova when any of us are in trouble from a demon, but for Chris, she gets that little bit more grumpy." Melinda said, enjoying the spectacle as her past mother blasted Prue backwards, not even flinching away from the numerous fireballs Prue was flinging in her direction.

"How come?" Paige asked.

"Well she lost him once, she doesn't want to lose him again. Chris is the same for the rest of us too." Melinda said, and kicked Questran backwards.

Eames then picked up his crossbow and fired it, the arrow heading towards Wyatt, Chris and Leo.

"No!" Source Prue yelled, and she flicked them out of harm's way.

"Prue?" Piper asked, lowering her hands slightly.

"Piper, help..." Prue pleaded, then her face contorted into a mask of hatred and she threw her sister back into the attic.

"Mom!" Wyatt cried worriedly, and he and his siblings rushed to her side, pulling her up as Prue shimmered back into the attic.

Piper blasted Prue, while Wyatt fired a wave at her, which she barely held off with her shield. Eames fired numerous arrows at the Whitelighters, aiming for a kill.

"Paige!" Billie cried, flicking the arrow away from her.

Melinda and both Pipers froze the room, stopping the arrows, and making Paige, Chris and Wyatt snarl at Eames and send the arrows back at him. The other demons came together and attacked the others, while they all headed for Eames.

"How do we vanquish this guy?" Paige demanded, flicking through the book.

"You cant stop me witchlighter." Eames sneered.

Wyatt irritably flung a wave at him, and Chris shoved Paige out of the way and used his powers to flick the book to the right page.

"Ha, got you!" he cried triumphantly as Phoebe and Past Prue attacked Prue.

"_Time for amends and a victim's revenge_

_Cloning power turn sour_

_Power to change turn to strange_

_I'm rejecting your deflection_!" the three chanted.

Eames screamed as she was consumed by fire, exploding before them.

"What kind of spell was that?" Paige demanded.

"It's better than your haiku!" Phoebe yelled irritably, as Prue flicked her away from helping her sister.

"One down!" Wyatt crowed triumphantly as Phoebe crashed into him,

"Ow." He moaned.

"Sorry honey." She moaned, as he got out from under her.

Chris was then thrown to the ground by a fireball from Antosis, and Questran tackled Paige while escaping the past sisters. They ran after them, while Leo, Billie and Melinda held off Sarpedon, and Piper resumed her battle with Prue. Kellman then fired a pincer at Wyatt again, and Leo snarled as it barely missed his son.

"Not my son." He growled, and fired jagged electricity into Kellman, crashing him against the wall as he electrocuted him.

Kellman roared in pain, but managed to conjure another pincer which he fired at Leo and Wyatt. Chris growled and flicked the pincer away with one hand while joining in the electrocution of Kellman with his father. Wyatt then jumped in and fired a wave that destroyed Kellman.

"That's better." Wyatt said, as Leo clapped his sons shoulders proudly.

Prue avoided a blast from Piper and fired a fireball that sent Piper reeling to the floor, and she advanced on her sister, determined to end her.

"Mom!" Wyatt yelled, and gathered his voice.

"STOP!" he yelled, his voice terrible, echoing and booming, making the demons stop in their tracks as fear paralysed them.

Prue turned to glare at him.

"Who are you to tell me what to do boy?" she sneered and threw him over the room to where past Phoebe and Paige were being cornered by Antosis.

"Hey guys, haven't you vanquished him yet?" Wyatt asked as he orbed the Book to him.

Past Phoebe looked at him in confusion, and Paige rolled her eyes and pointed to the page Wyatt had turned it to.

"_Hear us now the witches call_

_He who makes Samaritans fall_

_We speak as one we witches three_

_And banish you to eternity_!"

Antosis exploded, and as Prue was knocked backwards by a combined offensive from her past self, Piper and Chris, Questran and Sarpedon looked at their leader worriedly, as they were running low on ammunition.

"To me!" Prue yelled angrily as her opponents formed a line.

Questran and Sarpedon readied their blades to attack, while Prue conjured energy balls in both hands.

"You're outnumbered Prue." Past Piper growled.

"Give it up, we can help you..." Billie said, trying her best to redeem the oldest sister.

Prue sneered and threw the energy balls, and Leo pulled Billie out of the way, as Piper held Chris and Melinda's hands as Wyatt floated the book in front of them.

"_Evil feeder, evil leech_

_With this spell your body we shall breach_

_Shatter into tiny parts_

_And may the evil you bring soon depart_!"

Sarpedon, who had launched himself at Wyatt, suddenly exploded.

"Hey, I didn't need a spell last time!" Piper complained.

"What, you didn't!? That so isn't fair! How come my exploding power doesn't blow up powerful demons!" Melinda pouted, and both Phoebes grinned, as Questran struck.

Wyatt took Paige's hand as he joined Phoebe, as Melinda irritably slowed him down.

"_Killer of friends_

_It is time for an end_

_No more shall you kill_

_Of you we've had our fill_!"

The warlock disintegrated and Prue was all alone, and surrounded by three powers of three. She glared at them hatefully.

"You haven't won anything. I will destroy you all!" she yelled evilly.

Chris then fired a shock ball, sending her twirling into the air. Melinda then leapt up and kicked Prue across the room, and Wyatt followed through with a blast of energy to the chest. Prue slammed down screaming in pain and her past self squinted her eyes and sent her evil self scooting across the floor. Paige then orbed a box into her head, and stopped her travel, allowing Phoebe to blast her with disgust that sent her sprawling as she tried to recover. She got to her feet and Piper blasted her lazily, smashing her into the wall and dropping her to the floor.

Prue growled hatefully as she struggled to her feet.

"Come on, we need to vanquish her!" Wyatt said eagerly, but Chris took his arm and glared at him, while Melinda kicked him in the shin, making him yelp slightly.

"She's family!" Melinda snarled, glowering at her eldest brother, whose eyes brightened in realisation, before he looked sheepish.

"The power of three will work though." Leo said, as Prue fired a load of energy balls which Wyatt absorbed with his shield.

The past sisters joined hands.

"_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_!"

Prue began to slow as their powers took effect, but the past sisters were too weak for it to do much, so the present sisters joined forces with their past selves.

"_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_!"

Prue grimaced as pain lanced her body, their powers attacking all the ones she had accumulated. Melinda then took Paige's hand and the kids joined their power to the battle as well.

"_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_

_The power of three will set us free_!"

The nine of them saying it nearly ripped Prue apart and she screeched in pain, before she blasted a hole in the window and sprang through it, landing in the path and rushing into the street.

She glowered up at the attic, and hissed. She had been foiled again.

"_Return me from this time_

_To a world before mine_

_Take me back across the wastes_

_To visit the life through I once raced_."

There was a swirling and Prue was catapulted back in time, arriving in the underworld just as she had left it, with the Seer clearing up a mess that Chris had apparently made.

"My lady!" Xar exclaimed as she hobbled to the throne.

"Kane!" she roared and her Darklighter rushed forward and immediately began to heal her.

"I take it we were foiled again, and considering you left with five and come back alone..." Ludlow said delicately.

"Yes, they've been vanquished." Prue grumbled as Kane finished up.

Barbas sighed.

"Perhaps its out destiny to be thwarted all the time..." he said in a defeated voice.

Prue looked at him curiously.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Barbas looked at the Source in fear, and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter my lady." He soothed.

"Yes it does. What did you say?" she intoned.

Barbas grimaced and Zankou looked at him in sympathy.

"I said it was maybe our destiny to be thwarted all the time..." he said, wincing at the thought of being vanquished.

Prue smiled, his words inspiring a new plan in her...one that would work.

"Excellent thought Barbas." She whispered evilly, and swept from the throne room, musing on the implications of her latest plan.

XX

Piper looked at the mess her fury at Prue had made of the attic.

"Oh, I am so going to ground you three when I get home." She said, wincing at the thought of how angry she would be.

Chris was looking at the mess and grimacing, closing his eyes.

"Chris, are you ok honey?" Phoebe asked worriedly, afraid something had hurt him during the fight that Wyatt had missed when he had healed him.

Wyatt grinned.

"Oh he's fine, it's the mess, its killing him. He's got mom's obsessive cleaning gene and seeing that mess lying there is driving him nuts." He said with relish.

Chris glared at his brother, who simply laughed, and Phoebe had to hide a smile.

"Aw, you get that gene? Does that mean you moan at me if I leave the toilet seat up?" Leo whined, and Piper double started at the mere mention of that crime.

"Yes." Chris said, his eyes closed.

Melinda came back from downstairs, looking sheepish.

"Chris, out of concern for your usually very high stress levels, don't go downstairs." She said, patting her brother's knee.

"How bad is it?" Chris asked worriedly.

"Well...the clock isn't even recognisable as a clock." Melinda whispered.

Chris whimpered and Wyatt looked mortified.

"I vote Chris tells mom!" Wyatt said loudly, to Melinda's fervent nods.

"Wait, why me?" Chris demanded petulantly.

"Because you're her favourite. I mean, come on, when has mom ever yelled at you?" Melinda asked.

Piper was about to say she wouldn't have a favourite when Chris smirked.

"Says you miss 'flash my eyes at daddy and get whatever I want'." He said childishly.

Wyatt looked at his sister gloatingly, but she just sent him a disdainful look.

"You cant say anything buster. If Chris and I pick on you or moan at you, you always run off to dad to complain." She said sweetly.

Leo looked at Piper desperately.

"If they always go on like this, we're going to need a shrink." He said, and she smiled.

The three then turned to their past relatives, three of whom actually needed some answers.

"Right, can someone please tell us what is going on?" Prue demanded irritably.

"We can return them to the start of their day cant we, so they don't know too much?" Wyatt whispered, and Chris nodded.

"Right, well, Prue...you die in two years time. You're killed by a demon called Shax, and Paige here comes along to remake the power of three, she's our half sister, by mom's Whitelighter." Phoebe explained.

"Wait, I die?" Prue asked, and they nodded gravely.

"A week or so ago now, the Triad, who we are meant to have vanquished, returned and used Tempus to resurrect you. They tainted you with evil, and then crowned you as the Source, the big bad guy. Since then, you've kidnapped the baby Chris and Wyatt and have been trying very hard to kill us." Piper summarised.

Prue sat down, holding her head in confusion.

"I think I need an aspirin." She moaned, and Piper grinned, as that was usually her line.

"So...these are our kids? With Leo?" Past Piper asked, and Piper nodded, while her three kids waved at their younger mother.

"Cool...despite the fact Phoebe came onto Chris." She growled, glaring at the past Phoebe, while Chris shuddered.

"Well how was I to know?" Past Phoebe demanded.

"It wouldn't be so bad, but I remember Phoebe coming onto the other me!" Chris whined.

Piper looked at him in confusion.

"What?" she asked, bamboozled.

Chris looked to his brother in support, and Melinda nodded encouragingly.

"You tell them, you manage to make it make sense...if that makes sense..." she said, tailing off as she confused herself.

Wyatt rolled his eyes in amusement as he watched her try to make sense of what she had said.

"Well, we think that because the other Chris, the one who came back to stop me turning evil, died at near enough the same time as baby Chris was born, rather than going into the void where they should have gone, all the adult Chris' memories recycled and went into our version of Chris. So, when this Chris was growing up, he had all the memories of the adult Chris inside him." Wyatt explained.

Leo looked worriedly at the others, who shifted guiltily in their seats.

"So...you remember..." Leo asked awkwardly.

"You not being there while the other me was growing up? Yeah. You sticking a sword at his throat? Yeah." Chris said, while Piper turned furiously to her husband.

Leo winced.

"I also remember you trying to get him recycled, and trying to feed him to a T-Rex." Chris said, counting things off on his fingers.

Leo looked in panic at his wife, until Chris grinned.

"But you've more than made up for all that stuff dad, you're the best." He said, soothing his mother.

"Really?" Leo asked with a wide grin.

"Yeah." Chris said, to the nods from his siblings.

"Phew." Leo said in relief as Piper deflated.

"And he remembers mom throwing him over the room, kicking him out, the stuff all of you did to him..." Melinda supplied helpfully, making them look at their shoes in shame.

Chris grinned as the more recent versions of their family felt shame for the way they had treated him.

"Hey, why do you like Primeval?" Wyatt asked suddenly.

"What?" Chris asked in confusion, totally thrown on by how this linked to their conversation.

"Well you like Primeval, but dad tried to feed you to a dinosaur. Surely that would turn you off to that sort of thing." Wyatt reasoned.

"He likes Primeval?" Paige asked brightly, figuring it was probably her fault he liked it in the first place.

Chris looked at his brother in bemusement.

"You're asking me that now?" he asked weakly.

"Well its never occurred to me before has it?" Wyatt asked, and Chris sighed and shook his head, while Melinda giggled.

"So, you remember everything that the other Chris went through?" Piper asked worriedly, and he nodded.

"Yeah...he has lots of nightmares." Melinda said sadly, looking at her big brother.

"That sucks." Paige summed up, and Chris smiled.

Finished with Chris, they all turned to Melinda, while their past selves peered at their future relatives.

"So where did you come from?" Billie asked, not thinking that Piper had actually wanted another kid.

"I came on the stork." Melinda said sarcastically, but Billie's eyes widened, not quite getting the sarcasm.

"The stork actually exists?" she asked in surprise, and Piper and Paige laughed.

Phoebe patted her head kindly.

"Go sit down Billie sweetie." She said, and Billie went and got the Book and began looking through it to find the stork.

"Some things never change." Wyatt said wryly.

Chris then saw her turn the page, and flicked the book from her grip, landing in his hands.

"OW! Multiple many paper cuts! What did you do that for?" she demanded.

"You cant see that, future consequences." He said chidingly, putting the book down.

Piper rolled her eyes at her sisters, who grinned. That had been Chris' defence mechanism before.

"Well now I have the present consequence of being in pain!" she yelped, holding up her bleeding fingers.

"Wyatt fix aunt Billie's hands." Melinda ordered and he did so, calming her down a little bit.

"Well shouldn't Chris do it?" Billie asked, scowling at him, and he looked down sheepishly.

"Sorry. But I cant heal, so he has to do it." He said sadly.

"Aww, you still cant heal?" Paige asked, a small part of her wanting to rub it in that she now could, but she didn't dare with two Pipers present.

"No and it sucks." Chris said resentfully, and Leo patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"So when do we get you?" Leo asked his daughter, quite excited at the prospect of having a little girl.

"Soon." She said enigmatically, winking.

"Two weeks late is more like it." Wyatt said with a grin as he finished healing Billie.

"Well it was a cold snap! It was cold outdoors, I wanted to stay where I was warm!" she protested, and they all laughed.

Piper however had other concerns.

"You're two weeks late!?" she demanded.

"Yeah, and when she finally deigns to bless us with her presence, there's no stopping her." Chris said with a smile.

"I can imagine." Phoebe said, looking fondly at her niece.

"We barely get you outside the front door before she pops out." Chris said, and Melinda smiled in delight.

"What, I give birth to her in the garden?" Past Piper demanded weakly.

"Yep. It was quite the spectacle. The entire street came out to watch." Wyatt grinned.

Both Piper's moaned in dismay as the others laughed.

"Hey, you like being pregnant with me!" Melinda told her, trying to cheer her mother up.

"Why is this?" Prue asked her future niece, who might not exist if her future evil self had her way.

"Oh no, no wacky powers, like turning my blowy uppy power into flowers or fireworks like Wyatt, and please, no endless sickness and c-section like Chris!" Piper warned.

"Nah, not with me, I only make you a wee bit ill, but you get a massive power boost because we have the same powers." She grinned.

Piper had to admit that did sound good. That would teach any smart ass demon who dared come after her kids when she got them back.

"Good." She said triumphantly, and they grinned.

"So, are there any major things we need to worry about?" Phoebe asked, pointing to her stomach.

"Who are you pregnant with?" Wyatt asked curiously, despite Chris and Melinda's hisses.

"Wyatt, do the words 'future consequences' mean anything to you?" Melinda scolded.

Phoebe waved her hand as her nephew looked sheepish.

"Oh leave him alone, I was always going to have more than one." She said.

"I was?" Past Phoebe asked, looking intimidated.

"Yes. And its my first." She said, smiling fondly at Wyatt.

"Oh. That's alright then. You don't need to worry yet." Wyatt said mysteriously, and the other two grinned, and Phoebe looked at them panickingly.

"What is it?" she asked in worry.

"Nothing serious, just amusing for everyone else. We sort it all out eventually." Melinda soothed.

As Phoebe looked at them in confusion, they turned to Paige.

"Try and keep them small." Chris pleaded, to Wyatt's fervent nod.

"What, are they tall?" Paige asked excitedly.

"Very." Melinda said in amusement.

Paige mused on this, and both Piper's looked at their three kids musingly. Piper had to admit, seeing the three of them together and happy, Wyatt good and caring for his siblings, Chris happy and smiling, and only slightly neurotic, and Melinda, a surprise certainly, but a good one, happy and loving of her two big brothers, made her very happy.

"Hey, I know! Which one of us is most attractive, me or Chris?" Wyatt asked excitedly, his competitive edge coming back.

As his family looked at him, and his brother whose ears perked up a little as he asked the question, Melinda groaned and retreated to the corner, and took a big bar of chocolate from behind the dresser and began eating it.

"Melinda?" Prue asked worriedly.

"Trust me, when this argument starts it normally calls for something stronger. Here we go again..." she grumbled and broke off a large chunk.

"Wyatt, what?" Leo asked in confusion.

"Who is the most attractive, me or Chris?" he asked.

"What? You cant seriously think we'd answer that." Piper said chidingly.

Billie leaned close to Piper.

"Technically, we have to. They're the ride home remember." She whispered, and Piper scowled.

"Come on mom, you never answer!" Chris whined, and Leo looked at his daughter for support.

"What the hell is this about?" he asked in confusion.

"Oh come on dad, they're too good looking young guys growing up together, Wyatt likes to feel superior to Chris, and as such Chris likes it when he gets one over on Wyatt. Which is most of the time considering he and I are the brains of the outfit and Wyatt's just the brawn." Melinda grinned.

"Hey!" Wyatt complained, looking affronted, and they sniggered.

"Seriously though, they started having this argument as soon as both of them became interested in girls. But because Wyatt is a more of a 'love them and leave them' type," Melinda explained, as Wyatt drew a stern glance from Phoebe, "and Chris is more of a 'love as much as you can' guy, they cant fight anymore on who's had the most girlfriends, so they argue on who can pull girls better, and this is an integral part of that argument." She explained.

The past sisters were looking quite interested at the prospect, and Wyatt was looking pleadingly at his mother.

"Do I get a headache from this argument?" she asked Melinda, who nodded with a grin on her face.

"Well I suppose in the interests of sparing myself future pain...Chris." she said, wincing at Wyatt.

Wyatt shrugged.

"You were always going to choose him." He said, and turned to Paige.

"I was not!" Piper protested, and Chris smiled at her.

"Yeah you were mom." He said, smiling at her discomfort with apparently having a favourite child.

Paige looked between her nephews and shrugged.

"I don't know...Wyatt?" she said half-heartedly.

"One all!" Wyatt crowed triumphantly, and Chris rolled his eyes.

"I take it Chris isn't as competitive as Wyatt?" Past Piper asked her future daughter.

"Nah, he'd rather just watch than play sports. Him and dad go to basketball games together." Melinda explained.

Phoebe looked ashamedly at her shoes, and Chris rolled his eyes at his big brother.

"Why we asking her, considering she's come onto me twice now?" he asked bitterly, shuddering at the thought.

"Hmm, good point. That's two-one to you then." He said resentfully.

"Three-two." Chris said.

"Eh? No wonder you suck at maths." Wyatt said teasingly, and Chris narrowed his eyes in amusement.

"Both Phoebe's came onto me, as such thats two Phoebe's hence two points."

"Oh, we asking them? All right." Wyatt said, and looked at past Piper.

Leo shook his head at the madness of the argument, and Melinda passed him a chunk of chocolate.

"Thanks." He said, hoping that, for the sake of his and Piper's sanity, the boys would turn out asexual in their timeline.

Piper looked at her sons in amusement and wonder as they bickered jovially.

"Do they always get on like this?" she asked interestedly.

"Most of the time. Actually, the really bad fights are normally between one of us and one of you." Melinda said, looking at Piper pointedly.

"What?" Piper asked worriedly, wondering if she one day hurt her future daughter.

"Oh it's not me. Lets just say that that was the worst argument we'd ever seen, when it got as bad as it did. We nearly broke." She said sadly, willing her mother not to make that mistake again.

"It was Chris wasn't it?" Leo asked quietly as Wyatt and Chris, their original argument forgotten, argued who was best at school.

Melinda nodded.

"Yeah. It was bad. But I cant tell you too much, or Chris will kill me, and we'll get the future consequences crap that will just cause far too much stress. Just don't...do it this time. I hope you know what I'm talking about when the time comes." She advised, but Piper was still looking worried.

"Mom, I'm sure you wont. And you fix things, it just...got a bit too close for us. Let's say you hurt Chris and Wyatt, and typical Chris, he resented you more for hurting Wyatt than what you were doing to him." Melinda soothed, and Piper looked slightly heartened by the fact that that at least had survived the transition from dying dark future Chris to their Chris.

"So, which one of us is more attractive?" Wyatt asked, returning to his past mother.

"Wyatt actually." She answered, looking at her older self in confusion.

"Damn you still like blonds. This is your fault dad." Chris scolded lightly, and Leo shrugged at him, while Piper looked worried about what could possibly happen in the future to make her and Chris fall out.

"Three all. Aunt Prue has the casting vote!" Wyatt said excitedly, confident that he was going to win.

Prue looked between the two.

"Wyatt." She said, looking apologetically at Chris.

"Ha, yes!" Wyatt exclaimed.

"Oh my god they are so juvenile..." Melinda moaned.

"Dont I get an opinion?" Billie pouted.

Chris grinned, and she pointed at him, making him snigger as Wyatt was deflated.

"It's a tie again! Aunt Billie!" Wyatt scolded as Leo shook his head in dismay.

"I don't know what you're shaking your head at, now I'll be asked." Melinda griped and Piper laughed at the irritation in her daughter's voice.

She was clearly her daughter,

Wyatt then turned to Melinda, who growled at him menacingly.

"Dont even think about it!" she barked.

"Come on sis, please!" Wyatt whined, to Chris violent head shaking.

"Wyatt, the vein is out! Retreat!" he urged his brother, concerned for his future well being if he pushed their sister to answer.

Wyatt leapt back in terror as soon as Chris mentioned the vein and Melinda took a deep breath to calm herself down. The rest present laughed, and Wyatt backed down, sticking his tongue out at Melinda teasingly.

"Oh if I had finer control I would blow that off." She warned, grinning at him.

"You wouldn't dare." Wyatt said challengingly.

"Try me." She goaded, smiling as she did so.

Chris stood in between them, knowing that his presence in the firing range would stop them as without him around they'd probably kill each other.

"You three are nuts." Piper decided, smiling fondly at her three kids.

"Ah well what can you do?" Chris asked, shrugging at his mother while smiling in amusement.

Piper looked at the three of her wonderful kids, and a steely resolve to get them back developed. She would stop at nothing to get them back, and her sister at the same time if she could, and nothing was going to stop her.

"Well, not that we're not enjoying ourselves, but I think we should get out of here before Piper comes home and sees the mess." Phoebe said, to Paige's agreement.

"Cowards." Wyatt said resentfully, grinning as he did so.

Piper picked up a piece of paper and scribbled a note to her future self explaining that a fair bit of it was her fault.

"Give that to me." She said to Melinda.

Melinda took it from her, shrugged at her brothers, then handed it back to her. Piper shot her a bemused look while Wyatt and Chris giggled.

"The future me!" she exclaimed.

"Oh I see, why didn't you say so?" Melinda asked, blushing.

"Hey, who's the cute guy coming up the path?" Past Phoebe asked.

"Hopefully not another family member." Prue said scathingly, and both Phoebes glared at her while the others giggled.

"No, that's Sean." Melinda said, smiling fondly.

"Sean?" Paige asked interestedly, grinning teasingly at her niece.

"Dont look at me like that. Sean isn't..."

"Yes he is!" Wyatt and Chris chorused.

"Future consequences people!" she grumbled, while her brothers grinned.

Leo peered down appraisingly and sniffed disapprovingly.

"I don't like him." He grumbled.

"You haven't even met him." Prue pointed out.

"It's the principle." Leo grumbled, not liking the fact that someone was trying to take away his future daughter from him.

"At least thats the same." Wyatt said happily, and Chris and Melinda smiled, while Piper laughed.

"Hey, watch this, its good this." Chris said, opening a window as Sean came up the path.

"Watch what?" Past Piper asked.

"Aww, Chris don't do that, thats mean!" Melinda whined, tugging at her brothers arm, and Chris relented, falling back.

"Well if he one day wants to be part of this family, he has to get used to big brothers picking on him." Wyatt said, picking up a trumpet from the windowsill and sticking it out of the window.

He then blew it, and below, Sean leapt in fright, and simultaneously, a plant burst into flames. He cursed, picked up the hose that was sitting outside and put out the fire, then proceeded to water the garden.

Everyone inside laughed, aside from Melinda who glared at her brothers.

"Brilliant system that. It lets dad know he's coming and think up some mad new scheme for him to try and win his approval, we get rid of some horrible plants, get a laugh, and even better, he waters the garden for us too!" Wyatt said brightly.

"How did the plant set on fire?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"He's a Firestarter." Melinda explained sourly as her boyfriend watered the garden.

"That never gets old. We're mean to him." Chris said musingly as he shut the window, grinning.

"I know, but she's mean to us, so it's only fair." Wyatt reasoned.

The past sisters laughed then stood away, hinting that they needed to go.

"We'll return you to when your day began so you wont remember any of this." Wyatt explained.

"I want to remember though! I have three beautiful kids!" Past Piper complained.

"Yeah, but I die then get resurrected evil! I don't want to remember that. But remembering this three would be cool." Prue admitted.

"And I'm pregnant, I want to remember that!" Past Phoebe moaned.

"Sorry guys, but the less you know the better." Melinda said.

The three of them stood beside the book as their past selves looked downcast.

"I cant wait to have you three." Past Piper said fondly.

"Bye guys. _A time for everything, _

_And to everything its place_

_Return what has moved_

_Back to their time and space_." The three chanted, and there was a swirling of orbs and the three past sisters vanished.

"You getting rid of us now too?" Leo asked petulantly.

"Sorry dad. But we need to try and clean some of this place up before mom gets home or aunt Prue being the Source will be the least of our worries." Wyatt said, shuddering.

"Doesnt bother me. The mess does, but mom's reaction wont." Chris teased.

"I promise I will not have a favourite." Piper said as she hugged Wyatt fiercely.

"You need to. I'm dad's favourite, and Melinda's both your favourites. Dont deny Chris a little bit more." Wyatt whispered as Chris hugged Billie and Melinda hugged Paige.

"You're a good big brother honey." She said proudly, stroking his cheek and he grinned.

"I love you mom." He said, nuzzling her.

"I love you too baby." She whispered.

"Bye aunt Billie." Chris said, hugging her.

"Bye Chris. We will get you back." She promised, not wanting to stop being a godparent to this three.

"I hope so, or Wyatt and me are screwed." He said, smiling.

"Bye aunt Paige. You'll learn to love me." Melinda said teasingly.

"I'm sure I will. It's been great meeting you sweetie." She said fondly, hugging her future niece.

"Bye Wyatt." Phoebe said, kissing her nephew's cheek happily.

"Bye aunt Phoebe. Take it easy. I like my little cousin to come out in one piece." Wyatt said, winking.

"Bye Chris. Now...are you sure I'm a good dad?" Leo whispered into Chris' ear as they hugged.

"Yeah dad. I love you." Chris said, smiling and hugging his father.

"Cool. I love you too" Leo said ecstatically, finally knowing that he had fixed things with his youngest son.

"Bye Melinda. I cant wait until you come along." Billie said, hugging her goddaughter.

"Neither can I." Melinda said, smiling.

"Bye Wyatt. I love you little guy." Paige said, despite the fact that he towered over her.

"I love you too aunt Paige." He said happily, hugging his favourite aunt, not that he would tell Phoebe or Billie that.

"Bye bye my neurotic little clean freak." Phoebe said lovingly, kissing Chris' forehead.

"Bye aunt Phoebe." Chris said, laughing as he hugged her.

"I cant believe I have a daughter. I'm looking forward to it." Piper said as she hugged her daughter.

"Good. I love you mom." Melinda said, cuddling her mother lovingly.

"See you Wyatt. I'll teach you loads of bad habits when you grow up." Billie promised, hugging him.

"I know you will aunt Billie." He grinned.

"Bye little angel." Paige said, using the name she had discovered when they had had the other Chris.

"Bye aunt Paige. I love you." He said cuddling her lovingly.

"Bye Melinda. I'm going to be one of those rotten dads who never stops worrying about his little girl I can tell." Leo teased.

"Oh I know you will. Dont stop worrying about me ok?" she asked as he kissed her head.

"Never." He said fiercely.

"I love you daddy." She said as they hugged.

"Bye kid. I'll get you back soon." Leo promised as he turned to hug his son.

"I know you will dad." Wyatt said, proud of his father as they hugged.

"I love you Wyatt." Leo whispered.

"Yeah, I know. I love you too." Wyatt said, enjoying his father's embrace.

"See you Melinda. I cant wait to be an auntie again." Phoebe said, hugging her niece.

"I cant wait to be your niece. I love you." She said, hugging her favourite aunt.

"I'm sure I'll love you too." Phoebe said.

"Bye peanut. I love you so much." Piper whispered into Chris' ear.

"I know mommy. You're the best, no matter what. And I love you too." He said, cuddling her lovingly, making her feel a warmth she hadn't felt in two years.

They split up, and the tearful kids stood around the book.

"Say hi to grandpa, uncle Coop, uncle Darryl and uncle Henry for us ok?" Wyatt asked, and they nodded as they looked fondly at their future.

"_A time for everything_

_And to everything it's place_

_Return what has been moved_

_Through time and space_."

The group waved at their kids as they flashed back into the attic as they had left it.

"Phoebe!" Coop said in relief, hugging her.

"Paige." Henry cried, pulling her to him and kissing her.

"Thank god. Are you guys alright?" Victor asked worriedly, and Piper nodded.

"Thank god for that." Elise said in relief.

Piper looked at Phoebe's boss in confusion.

"Wait, you know about us?" she asked, feeling slightly behind the times, having not paid much attention before they had gone to the past.

"Yes, I know you're witches, Phoebe told me."

Phoebe shrugged.

"I figured she deserved to know."

Piper was so taken aback by this announcement she nearly missed what happened next. Kevin, robed down, looking worried, and when he saw Billie he visibly relaxed, and smiled, before running to her and kissing her on the lips. Billie moaned a little in surprise but then reciprocated passionately.

"I have been worried sick." He scolded her as they broke off.

"Hello to you too." Billie gasped in surprise.

"Woo." Phoebe called teasingly, and they ignored them as Kevin orbed out with Billie on his arm.

"Aww, that's nice." Cole said sweetly, earning him a strange look from Darryl and Victor.

"Good. Now that that two are on track, perhaps we can focus on saving our kids and my sister." Piper said, taking charge.

"Wait, what? You three were wiped out and you still want to save Prue?" Cole demanded incredulously.

"Yes Cole. It isn't her fault, it's the Source's. And besides, we've just been to the future," she explained, earning them confused looks, "and future Wyatt, Chris and Melinda say hi by the way," she said, making them look more confused, "and I want my kids back so we can give them that future so my kids can grow up in peace. Ok, got it? Good." Piper said, and immediately began scrying for what Prue was already most likely up to.

"They went to the future and saw their future kids?" Elise asked curiously, wondering how the hell that happened.

"And who is Melinda?" Darryl asked in confusion.

Victor looked at the passionate look on his daughters and step daughter's faces, and nodded.

"Apparently. And believe me, you want those kids to grow up, especially if I'm going to get a granddaughter soon. So, let's get to it." He said, and they set about their work.

Piper looked up at her family as it bustled about to try and find Prue before she struck again. She would get back her family, all of it, to save the future. Because she had seen it, and it was definitely worth fighting for.

**Hello!**

**As promised here is the latest chapter of season nine!**

**Prue's cunning plan was foiled once again, but now what sinister scheme has she got up her sleeve?**

**Elise now knows the truth, which I felt she deserved to as she never once questioned Phoebe disappearing off like she always did. Kevin and Billie are now together, and the girls have seen the future and it is bright. Some of the things they mentioned will be covered in the series chronicaling the kids own Charmed destiny, as referred to in the poll. **

**Sorry but I always thought Chris and Piper should be really close (as they are my favourites), hence why he is closer to her here than the others, despite them loving her to bits. And just who is Chris' favourite aunt? :P**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will hopefully finish the massive oneshot soon!**

**So until next time, please read and review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Seven

Angel Instead

"PRUE! PRUE! PRUE!" the demons chanted as she swept to her throne.

Prue eyed the crowd of demons like a hawk. She was particularly interested in the fact that Hecate was not even bothering to pretend, and was merely glaring daggers at her as she passed. Wyatt and Chris both looked up at her, and she could swear that she saw Chris mouth 'asshole' at her as she passed. Ignoring her nephew she sat down.

"We have suffered some defeats recently yes, but the next plan will ensure the destruction of the Charmed Ones once and for all. Mark my words." Prue said calmly, and the cheering went up again and she dismissed most of them.

Hecate glowered at the Source. The fact that her human half was still fighting for control had to make the others see that she was not fit to be the Source, she was a risk to them all. Who knew how the demons she had taken with her last time had been vanquished? What if her human half had taken over and had killed them? Having a Charmed One as a Source was clearly counter productive. And she wouldn't stand for it much longer.

XX

Deep within Prue, Asmodeus, Candor and Baliel looked at each others, their spirits still in full form despite their amalgamation into Prue's body.

"I am beginning to think this was a mistake my friend...she is too powerful for us to control, and her good part is far too powerful by far!" Baliel protested.

"I agree. We should not have done this Asmodeus. She is too strong to be the Source, and her good self is also far too powerful...it could undo the entire Underworld!" Candor cried.

Asmodeus glowered at them.

"I am aware of the problems, but she's also gotten the closest anyone has to killing the Charmed Ones than anyone has in years. She has also unified the Underworld." He argued.

"By resurrecting many who wont be at all thrilled to see us return. This is very dangerous..." Candor complained.

"There's nothing we can do about it now. All we can do is hope that she can destroy her sisters before she is destroyed herself..." Asmodeus said darkly.

XX

Prue glowered at Hecate as she left.

"She is becoming a too obvious threat to my rule. She'll have to go...but only after I wipe out my sisters." She said, and the Seer, Barbas and Zankou looked at her curiously.

"What do you plan now my lady?" the Seer asked, while Zankou glared at Chris.

"It was something that Barbas said that made me think. It is the destiny of the Charmed Ones to fight against evil, and a fair amount of the time, defeat them. So, why don't we change their destinies?" she asked musingly pacing the room.

"How do you mean?" Zankou asked.

"The Angels." Prue purred maliciously.

Silence met this proclamation as the others exchanged dark looks, and Prue smiled evilly.

XX

"I'm not sure about this my lady...the Angels are very powerful. They may not be able to be tamed by our magic..." the Seer warned.

Prue looked at her disdainfully.

"Please Seer, I am the strongest Source ever. I have all the powers of the Underworld at my disposal, along with my Charmed heritage. As such, I'm strong enough to do this." She said confidently.

"But aggravating death and destiny...they may exact revenge against us!" Barbas protested.

Prue smiled evilly.

"Ah Barbas, that is the beauty of the simplicity of the plan. As they are part of the Grand Design, they cant act against us, as that will mean that they are no longer neutral wont it? As such, whatever we do to them, they will be unable to get back at us due to the fact that they need to remain neutral. It's flawless." Prue said as she wrote down a spell she could use to summon the Angel of Destiny.

"But you will have to do their jobs as well! It's far too risky, you might get swept up plotting destinies or taking away dead people!" The Seer protested.

"No, I will not. All that will happen is that a backlog will develop, and as they cant ask us for help because we're evil, they'll have to ask the other side, keeping any other threats to my plans occupied." She said confidently.

Zankou had to admit she made a good argument. But it was a risky plan...especially with her latent good half still fighting the Source for dominance. It could undo the entire plan.

"Now, that's that. Now..."

The group stood in a half circle, with Prue at the front.

"_Spirits of air, sand and sea_

_Converge to set the angel free_

_In the wind I send this rhyme_

_Bring death before me before my time_."

A man clad all in black with auburn hair and a dour expression was suddenly brought before them.

"You again? Havent I already taken you?" he asked in confusion as he saw Prue.

Prue smiled tightly.

"Yes you did. By the way, I didn't appreciate the long climb up the stairs at the end of it, I was knackered." She said lightly, and the demons looked at her curiously.

"Aside from that, were there any improvements that could be made on my service?" Death asked, conjuring a pad of paper and a pen.

Prue looked thoughtful.

"Well, you could work on your bedside manner. I mean, whoever you're taking has just died, you could be a little nicer to them." She reasoned.

Death wrote this down.

"Very well. You've been most helpful. So..." Death then broke off, and narrowed his eyes.

"You're with them now? That's...interesting. And if you have been turned evil by being resurrected, it would at least explain how I didn't know about it. But why do you need me?" he asked.

Prue smiled and walked towards him, and placed her hand on his wrist as if guiding him out.

"Well it's simply a little favour I need from you. And don't worry, I know you cant choose who is to die...but it's not only your help I need." She said maliciously.

Death stared at her, then his eyes widened as he realised what she was going to do.

"_Take your hands in mine_

_And with this string I will entwine_

_Your powers I'll forever bind_

_From now to the end of time_."

There was a sizzling, and then jagged electrical bolts shot out from her hand and surrounded his body, and she gave an evil laugh as the bolts racked through his entire body, as he sunk to his knees.

"What...have...you...done?" Death demanded weakly.

He hadn't actually expected her plan to work. He was meant to be beyond the powers of a mere witch, or of a mere demon...but perhaps the two together enabled her to do this to him.

"Thank you. You've been most helpful." She purred as several Kazi demons came to transport him away.

"You wont get away with this! The Angel of Destiny..."

"The Angel of destiny will soon be in the same mess as you are in. Dont worry, as soon as I have done what I need, you will have your powers back and will be able to go back to your lives. And because you have to be neutral because of your place in the Grand Design, I am perfectly safe. Take him away!" she ordered, and the Kazis dragged him off.

"Well that went well. But just because he has to be neutral does not mean that he will honour that." Zankou warned.

"You worry too much Zankou. Now, let me see if this spell will work the same way..." Prue said musingly.

She stood forward and the others surrounded her again. The Seer frowned at where the Angel of Death had been dragged off from. Prue may think they wouldn't retaliate due to the fact that they have to remain neutral, but she wasn't so sure...

"_Prophecy and time converge on me_

_Hear my cry Destiny_

_Come here to the sound of this voice_

_Bring to me the bearer of little choice_."

The Angel of Destiny appeared before them, her gaze irritated.

"How dare you summon me? Your position as leader of the underworld does not give you leave to summon me whenever you wish." She hissed.

Prue bowed her head respectively.

"I apologise my lady, but I felt it best to summon you here. The Angel of Death has taken ill." Prue said.

Destiny narrowed her eyes.

"That isn't possible. What are you up to Source? Nothing good I figure." She said disdainfully.

Prue smiled evilly as the other demons looked at Destiny in shock. She had a lot of nerve this one, but they supposed that when you could control everyone's fate, it didn't matter how polite you were to people.

"Just a little affecting of the future that's all..." Prue whispered, and Destiny looked at her expectantly.

The Seer knew that this was very dangerous. Destiny could strike Prue down within a second if she so wished...unless because there were two people within the Source, along with the Triad, she couldn't read all their possible futures, and hence could not discern the Source's next move. Prue then leapt forward and grabbed Destiny's arm.

"_Take your hands in mine_

_And with this string I will entwine_

_Your powers I'll forever bind_

_From now to the end of time_."

Destiny looked at her in shocked terror, as the same thing that had happened to Death happened to her. Jagged electricity swept between the two, and while Destiny tried to stop it, and blast Prue back, Prue's unexpected attack had weakened her too much before she had started to resist, and with that, the powers of Destiny were in the hands of the Source.

"Thank you." Prue said smugly as Destiny fell to the floor.

"You will not get away with this Source. You will pay for this treachery. You may bring about a magical war, with even the neutral powers taking up arms against you!" Destiny warned as more Kazis arrived.

Prue glared at her.

"It is a small price to pay for the death of the Charmed Ones. With them dead, we shall be untouchable." She growled, and Destiny was carted off.

"Now what?" Barbas asked curiously.

Prue smiled as she headed back for the throne room.

"Now we affect my sister's destiny, and end their threat once and for all." She said evilly, and as she entered the room, Wyatt and Chris began to cry.

XX

It had been several days since Prue's last attack, but Piper knew it couldn't last, and that her older sister would undoubtedly make some new move against them to try and wipe them all out. Everyone had been busy working, arming themselves, helping make potions and preparing for Prue's next inevitable attack. However, the sisters and Leo had not slept as they were full of worry about their boys. They had been down there for about two weeks, and Piper was dreading how scared they would be and what sort of a state they would be in when she got them back. She was petrified that despite everything they had all gone through to make sure Wyatt wouldn't grow up evil, with his prolonged exposure to his evil aunt, she was still terrified that he would grow up to become the evil that Chris had warned them about. And on top of that, she was also worried about how it would be affecting Chris as well, because there was nothing to say that he wouldn't turn evil and be just as bad as his brother could be? This was a constant fear for all of them as they waited for Prue's next move.

They had discussed going after Prue themselves, but until they whittled down her demons a little it would be suicide. And there was still the fact that Piper and Phoebe were determined to get their sister back. They knew that the Source was in charge of her body, but their sister was still there, fighting the Source every step of the way and was doing it a lot more successfully than Cole had ever managed.

"Do you think the Source can get rid of her fully?" Phoebe asked her ex husband as she filled up yet more potion bottles.

Coop patted her stomach as he went past, and Cole rolled his eyes. Even though he knew Cole was of no threat, a small part of him liked to remind the demon of that fact.

"Well yes, as long as nothing devastates the Prue part of her, she will keep fighting, shes too strong willed and powerful to be easily wiped out by the Source." Cole reasoned.

"What do you mean, nothing devastates her?" Victor asked worriedly.

"Like the Source actually managing to kill one of us." Paige supplied.

"But she has done that..." Billie reasoned.

"Not so that it sticks. And I don't think the Source can overwhelm Prue until a power of three is destroyed. As such, there can still be a power of three if one of you dies. If we lose two of you, that could be what defeats the good in Prue once and for all." Cole said.

Piper was about to ask something else as Elise came into the kitchen with Darryl. As such, she leapt in fright when Kevin and Sandra suddenly orbed in front of her.

"Cant you stop that? Why don't you people knock first?" Elise demanded, holding her chest.

Sandra smiled, and Phoebe winked.

"Dont worry Elise, while a pain we don't mind them orbing in. Its when the demons shimmer in that you need to worry about."

"Hi." Kevin said happily, kissing Billie as she came in from the laundry room.

"Hi yourself."

"Oh yes?" Sandra asked interestedly, and Kevin turned away and ignored her, prompting his colleague to roll her eyes.

"What's happened now?" Piper asked worriedly.

Sandra looked at Kevin, who also looked worried.

"Well, don't panic...but we cant find the Angels of Death and Destiny." She said lightly.

And of course, all hell broke loose.

"WHAT!" Piper demanded furiously.

"How the hell did that happen?" Phoebe raged.

"Dont you lot keep an eye on this sort of thing?" Paige asked angrily.

"If Prue has them..." Leo speculated.

"Even if she did she wouldn't be able to do much, she isn't that strong surely?" Coop asked warily.

"What does it mean if she is?" Henry asked worriedly.

"Judging by everyone's reactions, I reckon that those angels going missing is a bad thing." Elise theorised, and Victor nodded in agreement.

"Just calm down!" Kevin yelled, and Billie whistled loudly, quietening everyone.

"Right, now...what does this mean?" she asked, as Kevin winced and rubbed his ears.

Sandra sighed resignedly and turned to look at her.

"Well, if as we fear, Prue has done something to the angels, it means that the Grand Design is in great danger. People might not die, or people's appropriate destinies might not be fulfilled. The move makes no sense...if Prue has taken them, I don't know what she seeks to achieve, we're stumped. All she can do is delay their jobs. Maybe she seeks to cause a backlog that will mean they need to use you lot..." she wondered.

Henry looked at her, thinking that from what he knew of the Source, from what the girls had told him, that just didn't seem right.

"What if she wants their powers?" he suggested.

Kevin shook his head.

"That's impossible, they're beyond the powers of a mere witch." He said.

Victor looked uncertain.

"But she isn't just a mere witch is she? She's a Charmed One." He said.

Sandra shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, she cant do anything, the angels are beyond their powers."

"But...she doesn't just have her witch powers does she? She has the Source powers, and all the other powers shes accumulated, so doesn't that make her a little bit more powerful?" Darryl asked.

Kevin opened his mouth to respond when Sandra suddenly looked very grave.

"That...could be possible...especially if the Angels didn't think it would work, they would defend themselves...they can be rather sure of themselves. As such, she may have been able to usurp their powers without any thought of the consequences...and she'll think shes untouchable because they have to remain neutral...you might be on to their plan." Sandra said in a scared voice.

Paige smiled broadly.

"So this is a new way of telling us we're screwed?" she asked in falsely cheery voice.

"Possibly. Do not worry, we will fix this...somehow..." Sandra said worriedly and she and Kevin orbed out.

"Wait, does that mean that Prue can affect your destinies now?" Victor asked worriedly.

"Yes." Piper said darkly, looking at her sisters.

If Prue could control their destinies, she could easily affect the outcome of their fight with her, and, more of a concern to Piper and Leo, she could accelerate the process of turning the boys more evil.

"What do we do? If she can decide when you lot are going to die..." Henry said, looking desperately at his wife.

Phoebe shook her head.

"No, we aren't going to let her get to us like this. Surely if she wants to come, she'll come for us. But as we know what she's done, all we have to do is affect the circumstances, and stop her deciding that its our destiny to die the next time she attacks. If we do that, we can survive. BOS." She said, taking charge.

"BOS?" Coop asked in confusion.

"Book of Shadows dummy!" she shouted backwards as she led the way up stairs.

"I'm scared Leo." Piper whispered and he held her to him.

"So am I. We'll get through this somehow, we've always managed it before." He whispered.

Piper shuddered.

"She can control our destinies and when we die, and considering the Source wants to kill us, I think we can rule out living out a long and happy life. This isn't anything like we've fought before. When Phoebe turned evil, she wasn't nearly as bad as this, Prue is actively trying to kill us every opportunity she gets. What happens when she succeeds? What will happen to the boys?" she asked tearfully.

Leo sighed. He didn't know any more than she did, but he was not going to let an empowered Prue take his wife away if he could help it.

"Look honey, we will stop this. Everyone is in this together. We will stop the Source, and we will get the boys back." He vowed.

"Before she kills us?" Piper asked half-heartedly.

"Yes, before she kills us. We will stop this, all you gotta do is have a little faith." He said cheerily.

Piper arched her eyebrow.

"Since when were you such an optimist?" she asked.

"I don't know, but despite how scary the fact is that there is now a Charmed One/Source/Angel of Death/Angel of Destiny out there trying to kill us, I actually have a good feeling about it. And look on the bright side." Leo said as they headed for the stairs.

"What bright side?" she asked.

"She hasn't got Avatar powers yet either." He said with a wink, and Piper laughed despite herself.

"So, doesn't this sort of make Prue invincible?" Darryl asked in concern.

"Thanks for that Darryl. We are trying to retain some optimism." Paige said as he looked through the Book.

"Well, I'm just saying, that if they're meant to be beyond your powers, it stands to reason that she might be difficult to stop." He said lamely.

"He could ask Leo, he's ridiculously optimistic for some reason." Piper said as she and her husband entered.

"Well he's right. We're forewarned, which means its time to bring something out of the bag. You girls can do this." Victor said confidently.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence dad." Phoebe said with a smile.

"Why don't we lure her here and whack her one?" Elise suggested hopefully.

Piper laughed. Despite the fact that she was a little scared that she had gotten herself thrown into a war between light and dark, she was handling all this pretty well.

"The simplest plots may sometimes be the best but..." Piper said.

"Well what about how you stopped the Half-Faced Source?" Cole asked musingly.

"Half-faced? Yuck." Coop said in distaste, going to Phoebe's side as the baby kicked.

"Yes, he was as ugly as sin. The Source after him wasn't much better." Paige said childishly, sticking her tongue out at Cole, who rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean though?" Piper asked.

"Well you haven't actually tried to catch her in a crystal cage have you? It might be enough time to vanquish her." He suggested.

"Havent you been listening? We want to try and rescue her, free her from evil, rather than trap her in some hell where she is punished for getting manipulated into becoming the Source. Vanquishing her wont do that. And as good Prue is still there somewhere, we want to save her." Piper said irritably.

"You do know that if you do that you wont be able to keep Prue." Cole warned.

"Yes...but it at least means that we'll one day be able to summon her spirit and talk to her like we do to Grams." Piper said defiantly.

"They can do that?" Elise asked Victor.

Victor laughed.

"Yeah they can do that. Know how most sons in law think they're safe when the mother in law dies? Not this one, she comes down every so often to see the girls." He explained, and Elise looked at the ceiling.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she asked weakly.

"It does have some points...but we still don't know how we can stop her, she's so powerful..." Coop said worriedly.

Billie then stepped forward.

"I could use my projection power again." She suggested.

"To do what?" Paige asked.

"Well it's obvious that Prue is going to be coming here. But, this might not be where you lot die. If I go and see that, I might see what sort of tactics she can use, and then we can undo her and stick her in the cage and see if we can dispossess her." Billie suggested.

"Yeah, but what if you project yourself into the future and she kills you Billie? Then what?" Phoebe asked, sitting down as her feet were killing her.

Billie frowned.

"Phoebe, you know I'm the only person who can do this before all of us are wiped out. This is our only chance, I can find out what she intends to do and then I can come back here and help you guys stop her." She said earnestly.

"It sounds very risky..." Henry said worriedly, looking at her.

"Of course its risky, but its no more risky than just sitting here waiting for Prue to attack. Come on Piper, you know I can do this!" Billie wheedled.

Piper looked at everyone, mostly her sisters, and got their nods of assent.

"All right, you can do it. But if you do...Kevin goes with you." She said firmly.

Billie didn't argue. She wanted to prove to them that she could do this, and besides...Kevin was her boyfriend so it wouldn't be all bad.

"Alright. Kevin!" she yelled, and he orbed down.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking sick with worry.

"You're coming with me." She said boldly, taking his hand.

"What, where are we going?" he asked.

"The future to try and figure out a way to stop Prue I hope." She said, and with that, she projected herself and Kevin away.

"I don't like this Piper." Phoebe said worriedly.

"Neither do I. But I like the idea of an evil Prue being the Angel of Death and Destiny even less." She said grimly, and started to help the others to prepare for Prue's imminent arrival.

XX

Billie and Kevin flashed into existence in the attic, obviously only an hour or two in front of where they had left, as the sun was still high in the sky showing it was mid afternoon. The others were all clustered around the centre of the attic and the book stand, all ready and waiting to attack.

"Billie, you're alright!" Paige exclaimed happily.

"So do you know when she's going to attack then?" Elise asked, wielding a crossbow.

Billie looked at them sadly.

"I haven't started yet. This is my first projection...meaning...if I did it right..." she whispered.

Victor looked at them all nervously.

"What does that mean?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"It means one of us is about to die." Piper said grimly, and as she said so, the door was blown apart behind them.

"Correct Piper. It's time to end the Charmed threat once and for all." Prue hissed, and conjured a massive energy ball and hurtled it at them as they began to spin around.

Phoebe levitated over the attack and it travelled right through the window. Phoebe smiled confidently, but Prue tornadoed at them like Shax would, a list appearing her hand.

Prue smashed into Victor and he was sent screaming and flying out of the already smashed window out into the street to his death. Prue came to a stop and turned and blasted Elise with an energy ball and she burst into flames and disappeared with a cry of pain.

"This is wonderful fun. Finally, you will all be destroyed!" she crowed happily, as she fired a bolt of electricity into Henry. He gave a small noise of surprise as it left a smoking hole in his chest and he dropped to the ground.

"We're getting slaughtered!" Phoebe yelled tearfully as Piper, looking furious, blasted Prue.

Kevin pulled Billie back, despite her struggling to get free.

"Remember, we're here to watch, not interfere." He whispered, though seeing them get slaughtered was upsetting him too as they fell back to the far end of the attic.

"We cant just leave them!" Billie protested tearfully, wanting nothing more than to help her adoptive family.

"Yes, we can." Kevin said, holding her to him tenderly and hoping it would end soon.

And as he did so, an idea came to him.

Prue shrugged off Piper's attack and flicked them all off their feet. Belthazor appeared form nowhere and leapt at her, and she sneered at him.

"I'm going to take great pleasure in doing something I should have done a long time ago...vanquishing your sorry ass." She growled, and fired an energy ball into his chest, and he was consumed by flames and destroyed.

Leo then attacked her furiously, his own electricity hurtling straight for her. All Prue did was calmly deflect it with one hand, whilst conjuring a Darklighter bow with one hand and giving him a shot right in the heart. He gave a pained gasp and fell to the floor.

Coop and Darryl charged her, but all Prue did was raise her hands and kill them both with lightning, and they yelled in pain in the process. And that left only the sisters...

"Paige, get Piper out of here!" Phoebe yelled, levitating towards her.

"Phoebe, no!" Piper screamed hysterically as Paige took her hand.

Phoebe hurtled at Prue, and she gave an evil laugh and fired a fireball right into her, and Phoebe cried out in pain, and she was gone.

"Phoebe..." Billie said weakly, tears flooding her eyes, as Paige orbed out with Piper, both of them grief stricken.

"Project, now!" Kevin urged as Prue turned towards them.

Prue snarled and launched another arrow at them, and Kevin pushed Billie backwards and blasted it from the air with his electrokinesis. Billie grabbed him and flicked Prue backwards and they vanished into the future once again, hearing Prue curse as they did so.

XX

"They're all gone...they were slaughtered..." Paige said weakly as her sister held her, rocking her on a sofa in Magic School.

"Well it all depends on Billie. If she can figure out a way to save all of us and go back to before Prue attacks..." she said, her own voices choked with tears.

Their husbands, their sister, their brother in law, their father, their friends...had all just been slaughtered by Prue. It was too much to bear. In one swift strike, she had decimated the entire family, and had once again broken the power of three. And now she and Paige were the only ones left, and were on the run. But it was only a matter of time before Prue arrived and attacked again.

Billie and Kevin flashed into existence, and Paige groaned.

"Oh no..." she said sadly, knowing what was coming.

"Guys..." Billie said, going forward.

"No Billie. Remember the original plan. It's the only way we're going to survive this." Paige said.

There was suddenly an explosion form above, and Kevin pulled Billie back from the rubble that cascaded down from above, while Paige and Piper fell back away from the assault. Prue then flamed into existence.

"So this is the magic school...how unimpressive." She said disdainfully, then turned to look at her sisters.

"Oh look, the two of you are on this nice little list here. Now, meet your fate!" Prue roared and fired two energy balls and fired them.

Piper raised her hands in order to go down fighting but Paige had other ideas.

"Away!" she cried wildly, and Piper screamed her name as she was orbed out by her sister.

Paige then turned and caught one of Prue's fireballs head on, and Paige was lifted from the ground and sent spiralling into a book case, which then collapsed on top of her.

"Paige!" Billie yelled, and totally ignoring Kevin's protests, she jumped forward and blasted Prue with her telekinesis.

Prue growled as she flew backwards then rolled to her feet upon impact, and sent a bolt of lightning right at her. Kevin jumped in front of her and created a shield to block the attack, then fired his own attack at Prue, who easily deflected it with her telekinesis.

"Billie, get us out of here! We have a job to do! Remember, we can still stop this happening!" Kevin said.

Billie looked at Prue as she conjured a Darklighter bow.

"I hope you're right." She said weakly, and took his hand and projected as Prue fired.

The arrow missed as the two young lovers faded out of existence, and she cursed. Not to worry, she would soon stop them all.

XX

They flashed to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, where Piper was standing, tears running slowly down her face. She couldn't imagine what she was going through. Her entire family had been decimated by her own sister, something Billie could hardly being to relate to. And there was the fear that Prue would do something to her children as well which had to be plaguing her, as did the fact that her remaining sister had just sacrificed herself in order to enable her escape so she could survive just a bit longer. It was tearing Billie up knowing what had happened to everyone, but it must be killing Piper.

"Piper...we still have a chance to fix this...it's not over yet..." Billie said tearfully, taking her friend's hands in her own.

Piper looked at Billie and Kevin with red rimmed, tear filled eyes.

"Listen to me. You need to stop her. Find a way, do anything...just stop her before she does all this ok Billie? All of this can be stopped, I'm depending on you, and on you Kevin, to save us...ok?" she asked tearfully.

Billie nodded, and Kevin hugged Piper to him gently.

"I have an idea that might work. It might undo Prue and let us stop her again. Piper..." he said hesitantly, but she shook her head.

"No, go, get her out of here. I'm counting on you two to fix this." She said softly.

Kevin looked at Billie sadly, and she hugged Piper, and he followed suit.

"We will fix this." He said firmly.

"Go!" Piper urged, and Kevin orbed them further away, and waited.

Prue then appeared, smiling smugly.

"One more name on my list. It's fabulous fun being able to affect destinies Piper...it means I can get rid of you at my leisure. And now, the Charmed threat will end once and for all." Prue gloated.

Piper glared at her evil sister.

"Prue, if there's any humanity left in you at all, tell Wyatt and Chris that I love them." She requested, and Prue nodded callously.

"Very well. Now meet your destiny!" she yelled and fired a fireball.

Piper narrowed her eyes and blasted it, creating a shockwave that knocked the two of them off their feet. Piper recovered first, and aimed at her sister venomously, and blasted without hesitation. Prue screeched in pain as the attack blew half of her face off, leaving behind scarred tissue and no eye on the left hand side of her face. Prue screeched and Piper smacked her with another attack, sending Prue to the ground.

"I was going to try and save you, but now you've gone too far. I loved you...but I cant stand what you've done." Piper said hatefully.

Prue looked up at her with her remaining eye, still trying to stop the bleeding.

"_Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda_

_Astrid, Helena, Laura and Grace_

_Halliwell witches stand strong beside me_

_Vanquish this evil from time and space_!"

The spell began, and Prue cried out as she feared she was about to be vanquished. However the spell failed to take effect, as Prue's angel powers must have been protecting her. Piper glared at her evil sister as she got back to her feet, and then she threw a fireball at her sister. The fireball hit Piper and she fell softly to the ground, and the half faced Prue staggered to her feet.

"Your kids will pay for that Piper. But first I need to destroy Billie." She spat, her voice muffled due to her missing half her face.

She then flamed out, and Billie turned, grief stricken and tear stained, to Kevin.

"She's killed them all! How do we...?" she pleaded.

Kevin too her cheek gently in his hand and looked intently into her eyes.

"We aren't going to panic. I have an idea. Prue's power and her invincibility comes from the fact that she has the powers of the two angels. So, to stop her, we need to unbind the powers of the angels." He said, trying to calm her.

Billie gave a tear-filled noise as she sucked in breath.

"But...the angels are beyond ordinary witch powers." She said tearfully, tears running down her face.

Kevin nodded, then allowed himself a small grin. He had faith in Billie, and he knew she would be able to fix all this.

"Yeah, but the sisters and you aren't ordinary witches are you? They're the Charmed Ones, and you're half of the Ultimate Power. So, by my reckoning, you should be able to unbind her powers. But first, you'll need to get stronger." He explained.

A small glimmer of hope had reappeared in Billie's eyes. He sounded like he had a plan, and if it worked, they might be able to save the entire lot of them from their death at Prue's hands.

"Well how do I do that?" she asked, calming down, feeling confident in her boyfriend's plan, but not quite knowing why.

"Well because Prue has killed the sisters, the good part of Prue will be dead now as well, and because Melinda hasn't been born yet, they cant create a power of three. So, the power of three is up for grabs. There's a spell in the Book that allows the sayer to create two more copies of themself. So, I reckon that if you say that spell, it will make you and your duplicates a new power of three. Then, you'll have that power melded with your normal powers, and we can project back and hopefully the two powers of three will be able to unbind the angels powers." He explained.

Billie looked at him. It did have some merits, and it might just work...

"Alright, what do we do?"

XX

Piper, Paige and Phoebe, along with the others, were ready for Prue. All they could do was hope that Billie found some way to undo her attack, because there had been nothing inside the Book.

"Dont worry, she's very good. She did kill Phoebe and Paige." Leo soothed.

"That's meant to be comforting?" Elise asked dryly.

Cole turned into Belthazor.

"Prue is going to be very powerful and wont stop. We'll need to hit her at once if we even want to slow her down, or otherwise she'll decimate us."

Coop nodded.

"All of us are ready. All we can do now is rely on Billie and Kevin." He said, looking slightly worried.

Phoebe winked at her husband.

"Dont worry my dear, if I know Billie, she's already got some hare-brained scheme which will help save the day." She said confidently.

Yes Prue would be coming, and would be coming for blood. But the only problem was the fact that she had the power of the angels. If they could get that out of here, they might be able to stop her.

XX

Kevin handed the Book to Billie as they sat in the living room. The two of them hadn't gone to the scene of carnage in the attic, as Kevin had only orbed the Book to him. And, if Kevin's plan worked, they would soon avoid the entire thing all together.

"I hope this works." She said sadly, as she found the spell.

Kevin knelt in front of her and looked at her.

"Billie, I have faith in you. You can do this, then we can go back, and none of this will have happened ok? We can sort this, together." He said earnestly.

Billie looked at her boyfriend. He was cute, kind, caring, and he believed in her whole-heartedly. And as he spoke a rush of warmth spread through her, fighting against the dark coil of grief inside her, dispelling some of the darkness. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly but passionately.

"Thanks. For believing in me." She said softly.

"Any time." He said, smiling slightly.

Billie found the page, and nodded to herself.

"_Take my powers, Blessed be_

_And multiply their strength by three_!"

There was a flash an two exact replicas of Billie appeared.

"Whoa, it worked." The real Billie said in shock.

"Of course it did. We're good at this." The one on her left said.

"And he told us the plan would work." The other one said, indicating Kevin, who blushed.

The real Billie looked at him curiously.

"So they're me, but different parts of me?" she asked in confusion.

"I reckon so. I think the one on your left is the more confident one, and I'm assuming the one on your right is the more trusting one. Hmm...imagine the possibilities if I had three of you." He said with a grin, and the three of them giggled.

The real one brought them back to focus.

"So, what now?"

"Use the spell the girls used last week to summon their powers originally, that should give you the Power of Three, and the fact that you're part of the Ultimate Power should mean that you have their most advanced powers...only difference being you'll have the version of telekinesis Prue has rather than the one Paige has." He said musingly.

Billie nodded and found the spell, and her two copies leaned forward to read it with her.

"_Hear now the words of the witches_

_The secrets we hid in the night_

_The oldest of Gods are invoked here_

_The great work of magic is sought_

_In this night and in this hour_

_I call upon the sacred power_

_Give your power to we witches three_

_We want the power _

_Give us the power_!"

Several particles coalesced around the three Billies and went into them.

"Try it out." Kevin urged.

Billie then blasted the table away from them.

"Well that doesn't show us much, you could do that anyway." Kevin said.

"Hey this was your plan don't take it out on us. But see what I can do." The confident one said, and calmly blew up a lamp.

"It worked!" Billie exclaimed happily.

"Of course it did, he said it would." Other one said, and she shot a bolt of love to Kevin, who smiled at her sweetly.

"Cool." The usual Billie said.

The plan had actually worked. Now, if Kevin was right, all they had to do was join forces with the sisters when they projected back to where they left, and if they could get a spell to unbind the power of the angels, it should strip Prue back to her ordinary Source powers.

"Right, come on, we need to get out of here before..." Kevin began.

A telekinetic blast then sent him spiralling away and he smashed through the very same wall Prue had once been thrown through by Shax. He gave a groan as he struggled to get up as the three Billie's turned to face Prue as she entered from the conservatory.

"Oh, that looks nasty. Bet you regret killing your sister now bitch." The confident one said, and Prue, her face a bloodied, scarred mess on one side, hissed.

"Oh thats a bright idea, piss her off why don't you?" the trusting one said scathingly.

Prue groaned, wincing at the pain in one side of her face.

"Look, I don't know why theres two more of you, and to be frank I don't care. All I care is that all; obstacles to my rule die!" she roared and threw three energy balls at them.

The confident one blew her one up, while the real one flicked it back at its owner and the other diffused it with a blast of annoyance. Prue hissed, then sent them all sprawling with a telekinetic blast. The confident one blasted Prue, who merely shrugged it off and conjured the list, and saw Billie's name at the top of the list.

"So die all enemies!" she crowed, and fired a massive fireball.

Kevin then appeared from nowhere and created a shimmering shield that the fireball consumed, but left him unharmed.

"Billie, get us out of here!" he yelled.

"How sweet, you two have clearly fallen for each other!" Prue sneered and wrenched down the ceiling.

Kevin and one Billie raised their hands, the Billie freezing the debris while Kevin's shield warded off the attack. Kevin then glowered at Prue who was advancing on them menacingly.

"Leave...her...ALONE!" he roared and sent a massive jolt of lightning into Prue which sent the Source hurtling through the wall.

Billie then grabbed his arm, kissing his cheek as she did so, and the four of them projected back to the past.

"NOOO!" Prue yelled furiously, and let out a wave of fury that destroyed the living room.

XX

They flashed back to the attic, exactly how they had originally left it.

"Billie! You're back! And there's more of you." Paige said, looking very confused.

"What the...?" Cole asked in confusion looking at the three Billies.

"Right, how are there three of her?" Henry demanded, holding his head as if he had a headache.

"No time to explain. Piper..." Billie began, then Kevin tapped her on the shoulder.

"Which one is the real you?" he asked, having lost track during their fight with Prue.

The three Billies looked at the other, then shrugged.

"I don't know." She said in confusion.

"Typical blonde." Victor said, shaking his head, and Darryl snorted.

"Right, focus people! If you ask me, she's used the Charm of Multiplicity, Prue used it once to avoid getting killed by a Lord of War, but the question is, why did you cast it?" Phoebe asked her friend.

"It was horrible, Prue killed everyone, leaving Piper till last. But you did take off half her face and tried to vanquish her sorry ass, but it didn't work, but that isn't the point. I cloned myself then created my own power of three, and Kevin reckons that if we can combine our powers, we can strip Prue of the angel powers and just make her Source Prue again." One Billie said.

Piper looked at her and nodded grimly. She had no desire to see everyone get murdered, and even less desire to be the last one standing. And despite the fact that there were now three versions of Billie when one was usually more than enough, it was actually crazy enough to work.

"A power of three, three ultimate powers...what are we waiting for?" Paige asked, and they set out preparing for Prue's attack.

XX

An hour later, one of the Billie's nodded as everything was ready. They had a spell that would hopefully unbind the powers of the angels and allow them to fight Prue on level footing. The three Billies, who still didn't know which one was which due to the confusion of the projection, were on the left hand side, while the sisters were on the right, and everyone else was flanking the doors and waiting for Prue to burst in.

There was a crash from downstairs, and everyone tensed, Victor wielding a disc launcher, Darryl and Henry their guns, and Elise wielding a crossbow. Piper and one Billie raised their hands, while Phoebe and another raised a hand to their heads.

"Hey, that's the real Billie!" Kevin said happily, pointing to the one that was left, as he raised his own hands with Leo and Coop, and Cole transformed.

"Yay, I'm me again!" Billie said excitedly, as the door blew open, revealing Prue, Death's list in her hand.

"Ah, nice of you to welcome me. Now, it's time to end all of you." She said silkily, and looked at the list.

The two powers of three then revealed their spells.

"_Powers taken but are not earned_

_The new owner shall pay in their turn_

_Remove those powers back to whence they came_

_And return our enemy to normal again_!"

Prue narrowed her eyes contemptuously, until she noticed the list in her hand vanish. Two massive orbs of energy, one black one white, flew out from her body. A second later, the Angel of Death and Destiny appeared in the attic behind them.

"Thank you." Destiny said, glaring at Prue.

"NO!" Prue yelled, and moved to attack.

"Crystal, circle!" Paige cried, orbing the crystals around Prue and trapping her inside the crystal cage.

"That wont stop me." She vowed, glaring at them menacingly, while everyone tensed up, ready to move at a seconds notice.

The three Billies and the sisters then attacked as one, knocking Prue backwards into the beams of the cage. Darryl, Henry, Victor and Elise then attacked, while Coop, Leo, Cole and Kevin launched their attack hurting Prue and knocking her to the floor.

"Prue, we don't want to do this! I know you're in there! And we will free you!" Piper cried to her sister, to Phoebe and Paige's nods.

"We still love you Prue!" Victor said, and Prue's face contorted, as if she were in pain.

"Piper...Phoebe...dad...hurry...I cant hold the Source off much longer!" Prue pleaded, and there was then a bestial roar as the Source regained control.

"She is very powerful and stubborn, just like the rest of you. It is time to stop you once and for all!" Prue yelled furiously, back in full Source form, and she conjured a massive beam of flame and launched it at them.

Shaken by their sister's plea, the three of them stood still as the beam started to bend the crystal cage's energy beam. Trapped within the cage, the fiery beam headed towards them, the bubble of energy trapping it within. It stopped an inch away from Piper, and then it bounced back into Prue, making her screech in pain as she was blasted off her feet and into the bubble of energy, which sent a powerful current running through her body. She screamed in pain as she slammed back down and looked up weakly.

"We will save you Prue." Paige promised, and Prue regained control for a moment.

"Thank you little sis." She said kindly, before the Source took control again.

"Drat! Double drat! And triple drat!" she hissed, and used her telekinesis to flick one crystal away and free herself from the cage. She then flamed out before anyone could stop her.

"She's still in there." Piper said as everyone relaxed.

"Yeah, you're right. And we have to save her." Phoebe said determinedly as they all sat down, tired out.

"Saving her from the Source is the only way to make sure her spirit will go back to where it's meant to be. I just don't know how we'll save her." Paige said lamely.

"But she is still there. Dont give up hope, we might still be able to get her back and free her spirit." Kevin said optimistically.

Cole frowned as he returned to his human form and sat down.

"Yeah, thats true now, but it wont always be. Prue cant keep fighting the Source for control over her own body. Eventually the Seer or the Alchemist will figure out a way to separate her from her body and give the Source full control. I know you don't want to think that way, but you have to face the reality that you may have to vanquish her." He said slowly.

Piper glared at him, but knew he had a point. She just wasn't going to admit it to him. Reformed or not, he was still an ex brother in law from hell.

"I reckon you'll do it. After all, you are meant to be the strongest witches ever. You will find a way." Elise said confidently.

The sisters smiled at Elise and then turned to look at the two Angels.

"Thank you for getting back our powers. We were...arrogant to think that she wouldn't be able to harm us. Apparently the mix between Source and Charmed One is not a good one. We are in your debt." Death said thankfully.

"And do not worry, we will make good on that debt eventually." Destiny said with a wink.

"How much damage did Prue cause, messing up the Grand Design?" Coop asked curiously as he let Phoebe relax on his shoulder.

"Enough to be getting on with. I wonder...if we could perhaps borrow two of you. Either that or we'll be working overtime for weeks." Death said grimly.

"Well..." Cole said hesitantly, looking around for someone who could do the job.

"Splendid!" Destiny said and pointed at him, cladding him in the purple robes of an angel of Destiny.

"What the...? Oh you have to be kidding me!" he protested.

"Nice Cole. Purple really is your colour." Darryl said, chuckling.

Cole shot him a dirty look and Death pointed at Darryl, and he was suddenly clad in black robes.

"What! Oh thats just, well thats just great." He said irritably, as a list flashed into his hand.

"Ha! I'm not the only one in a dorky costume!" Cole said triumphantly, though lowered his gaze under a stern look from Destiny.

"Ah, but I have style. You just look dumb." Darryl said, and the others laughed.

"Very well, come along, we have jobs to do if we're to catch up. We're behind schedule." Death said, and the four of them vanished.

Billie sighed as she opened the Book, and recited the spell that got rid of the other two Billies.

"Well it was slightly fun while it lasted." She said cheerily.

Kevin then came over to her, wrapped his hand in her hair and brought her into a kiss. Billie moaned in delight as he did so before they broke off.

"Told you you could do it." He said, grinning at her.

"Well thank you for showing me how." She said, kissing his cheek.

Piper, Phoebe and Paige then went over and hugged the two of them.

"You saved all of us. Thank you so much." Piper said in relief.

"You're welcome. And for what its worth, you were quite cool when you blasted Prue before she killed you. In a fair fight, you'd have kicked her ass." Billie said proudly, to the others grins.

Piper opened her mouth then closed it again. Perhaps Billie had a point...

An idea was starting to form. Not a solution, but it could be the start of one. Piper smiled.

XX

"AAAHHH!" Prue stormed furiously as she retreated into her chambers.

"Looks like she failed again. And infuriating the angels isn't a good idea." The Crone said worriedly.

"Do not worry. I see a great victory is approaching." The Seer said confidently.

Zankou smiled, the narrowed his eyes at Hecate, who was disappearing around a corner.

"Will she see said victory?" he asked her interestedly.

The Seer smiled enigmatically.

"It depends." She said as she went over to feed the children, and ward off Masselin, who was leering at the two of them.

"Asshole." Chris said, pointing at Hecate as she left, and his brother hugged him to him.

Zankou looked at the young boy.

"For once my little nemesis, we are in agreement." He said darkly.

XX

Hecate smiled as she left the assembly chamber. Prue had lost again, and the good in her was as strong as ever. Even the Whisarmer couldn't keep her under control for ever.

Now was the time to strike.

**That was close!**

**If not for Billie, Prue certainly would have won. She's certainly getting ambitious if she's going after the angels. But once again she has been foiled. I hope you like the pairing of Billie and Kevin, this chapter was quite helpful for showing their new relationship.**

**Dont worry, Cole and Darryl will be back soon enough, and what did the Angel of Destiny mean with her cryptic promise of repaying their debt?**

**For the meantime, Prue has been foiled. What will be her next move?**

**What is Hecate up to? Is she about to make her move?**

**Will the sisters get Prue's spirit away from the Source? What will happen next?**

**Next time, we see some past events repeated...thats all I'm saying! Until then, please read and review, and we're not far from the end, only four chapters left to go! Enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Eight

Past Effect

Hecate looked around at the group of demons she had assembled.

"The Source has failed. The Charmed Ones and their allies continue to undo her plans. As such, the Triad's plot has failed. They should never have made a Charmed One the Source. Now, we all will pay the price. She is too powerful, meaning that we will never be able to challenge her for the throne. The Triad's plan has doomed us all." She said significantly, earning interested looks from those around her.

"What do you suggest?" the Kazi king asked suspiciously.

Hecate smiled.

"I have waited ages for a chance to go after the Charmed Ones. They will not be able to stop me without the dagger that is used to imprison me. I will kill them all, and when I do, I will prove that the current Source does not deserve to wield the throne. And then, with the power I will accumulate by killing her sisters, I will destroyer the Source, and take my rightful place as queen of the underworld." She purred, excited at the prospect of finally moving out of the shadows.

"Unfortunately the Source has the Seer and the Crone on her side. She will know of your plot. And even if we somehow manage to find some way around them, because it was by her magic that they were resurrected we will have to get by Barbas, Zankou and Shax, who are her most lethal and powerful bodyguards. And Kane is no pushover either, and he will not appreciate being forced to serve a full demon with little claim to power. This is very risky." The Swarm King warned.

Hecate scowled.

"It matters not. I will become the Source, as is my birthright. And in the process...I will exterminate the Charmed Ones." She vowed evilly.

XX

"Hecate's betrayal is coming." The Seer said.

Prue looked at her interestedly, while the Crone tried to soothe Wyatt and Chris, who were now really missing their mother and were wailing their heads off. Barbas and Zankou were glaring at the two youngsters with the deepest loathing, as the noise had been driving them nuts for days. Masselin was hovering around, but was kept at a respectful distance by Prue's presence, though he was looking at the children with hunger in his eyes.

Prue smiled.

"Excellent, about time she got her finger out. Now I can finally get rid of her." She said smugly.

Prue leaned back as she considered the possibilities. In order to take the throne from her, she would have to prove that she was capable, which would mean destroying her sisters. So, if Prue was clever, she could remove two threats to her reign with one swift stroke. Hecate would ask for a chance to prove herself against her sisters, which she would grant. Hecate would be destroyed by her sisters...and then while they were exhausted Prue could finish them off. A win all round.

"Wonderful. Hecate, your days of opposing me are up."

The Seer raised an eyebrow.

"How will you stop her my lady? We have the dagger, but if you want to keep it quiet that you are behind this, you will need to be very careful. If it is apparent that you are fighting against one of our own, they will all begin to question your desire to defeat your sisters, which could undo everything." She warned gravely, her eyes widening.

"I know that Seer. I'm not stupid. Other ambitious demons, such as Xar, will split from us if it becomes apparent that I am trying to kill off one of my own demons. However, we will rely on my sisters to vanquish the bitch, and then we can get on with destroying them." Prue said irritably.

Chris and Wyatt screamed louder as she said so, making her roll her eyes, but then there was a flash.

"Wyatt, Chris...get out of here!" she yelled.

The Whisarmer shot in from nowhere as the Crone blocked Prue's path as her good self regained control.

"Remember, your sister abandoned you, replaced you...they never loved you at all...why should you care about her children?" he asked.

"You're wrong." Prue said defiantly, and the others looked at each other in alarm.

Her good self was far too powerful, her incredible will and power allowing her to fight off the darkness that was the Source. She headed towards the kids, but it was clear that the enormous amount of energy she needed to take control for so long was ebbing.

"They abandoned you..." the Whisarmer whispered, trying to restore the Source before any of the other demons aside from her inner circle saw that she was acting as Prue.

"Liar!" Prue yelled, and fired an energy ball into his chest and he burst into flames and was gone with a pained scream.

"That isn't good." Zankou muttered, and Prue suddenly fell to the floor, breathing heavily, and Wyatt and Chris resumed their bawling.

"Enough! I am back in control!" she spat, and it was clear that the Source was back.

Two guards who had witnessed the attack squirmed nervously, and she turned and vanquished them with a couple of fireballs, looking furious as she did so.

"None of you are to speak of that episode outside this chamber." She growled menacingly.

They all bowed, but Barbas and Zankou looked at the Seer in concern. She had just vanquished their best weapon for keeping the good Prue under control, which good Prue definitely knew, so without the Whisarmer around to reinforce his lies, she would continue to gain strength against the Source. If that news got out, the news that the Source might not be able to maintain command of her own body, the underworld would split. And at the moment, the only thing that kept those present such as Zankou challenging her for the throne was the fact that it was her magic that had resurrected them.

Prue then span towards the Seer, who recoiled slightly, fearing for her own life.

"Tell me Seer, when will I be free of this blasted force of good inside me so I can rule in peace?" she raged, her eyes narrowed in her fury.

The Seer peered into the future.

"The only way for that to happen is for you to destroy all three of your sisters. That will break the good in you my lady and allow you to rule in peace, as none of my magic or the Alchemist's have worked." She said, bowing her head respectfully.

Prue sat down irritably on her throne and glared at them all.

"Right, if that is the only way to get rid of the good inside me, we need to up our game. We've been looking at things too narrowly. I have an idea of our next move...but first thing's first, get rid of the coup going on in my back garden. Hecate!" Prue roared, and the hideous horned demon shimmered before her in seconds.

"You called?" she asked, and Prue narrowed her eyes at the lack of respect and lack of recognition for her position in her voice.

Prue forced her face into a smile.

"Yes Hecate, I have decided to grant you your wish. I wish you to go up against my sisters and prove to me that you are as capable of taking them out as you claim to be." She said silkily.

Hecate smiled.

"It will be my pleasure." She said, and shimmered off.

Zankou looked at her.

"Does that work? What if she does defeat your sisters? Then she will initiate her coup against you." He pointed out.

Prue smiled at him evilly.

"Firstly, if she thinks she can take out my sisters, she is gravely mistaken. Secondly, if she does by some miracle manage to defeat them, I will not be contending for my body any longer and will be able use the fullest extent of my power to defeat her. And thirdly, even if she does succeed, no one will know, because she isn't coming back." Prue said confidently.

Zankou looked hesitant.

"My lady, if you think Leo will be able to, or Belthazor, or any of the mortals they've assembled..." he said, worried she might take offence with him pointing out flaws in her plan and deliver the same retribution she did when she first heard Chris swear.

"No they wont, shes too powerful for that. She isn't going to come back because you are going to kill her even if she succeeds." Prue said sweetly.

Zankou looked at her, then sighed.

"I suppose I did ask." He said and flamed off after her.

The boys were still crying, though because of Prue's episode they had been largely ignored. Now Prue looked to them.

"Shh, it's alright little ones. Soon your mommy will be safe." She whispered.

Barbas looked questioningly at the Seer. Did she mean safely dead, or safe in general? The Seer shrugged, and Prue growled as she turned to the Seer.

"And you, come with me. We are going to visit the Darklighters. We need them for what is to come next." She said, then swept from the room, the Seer scurrying along in her wake.

XX

"Well why don't you just go down there and lay some voodoo on them all?" Henry asked curiously as they all set to work in the conservatory.

They had moved down here in order for them to get a little bit more air as with all the people up in the attic it was incredibly warm. Cole and Darryl had both returned, as the two of them had finished helping the Angels catch up, and the Angel of Destiny had been so impressed that she had asked him if after all this was over he would consider taking a part time job in order for her to have some time off.

"We cant until we narrow down some of her demons. She's basically resurrected every Troxa, Dogan and Belthezor we've ever faced. She really does want us dead. So, if we go down there, we're finished, we'll be outnumbered. Paige and the others were lucky to get out of there alive the first time." Piper said, scrying for any demons that had gone wandering away from the safety of the underworld.

Victor was flicking through the book interestedly, while Phoebe stood with him, copying down spells to vanquish all the demons they still had to face, because no matter how good they were, they couldn't remember all the spells, and besides, Billie didn't know them all anyway, no matter how studious she was.

"And this time, you wont get out alive at all." A snarling female voice said, and Piper jerked her head up to see Hecate strolling towards them from the kitchen with an evil leer on her face, and a smiling Zankou following close behind.

"Hecate!" Piper cried out in shock as the hideous demon came towards them.

Hecate grinned evilly and raised her hand.

"Yes, it is time for mw to achieve my true destiny. And when I do, you will all be destroyed!" she vowed, and fired a jet of wind at them all.

Piper raised her hands to fend off the attack, but it was too late and she and her sisters were blown off of their feet. Cole turned into Belthazor and leapt at Hecate and Zankou, but Zankou merely smiled and fired an energy ball into the red demon and Cole was blown backwards into the clock that Victor had spent hours fixing.

"Oh come one, I just fixed that damned thing!" he protested.

"Foolish Charmed Ones, meet your fate!" Hecate screeched and a ball of magic conjured in her mouth and she then let out a terrible scream that shattered all the windows and sent everyone to the floor,

"Phoebe, who the hell is that?" Elise screamed as Hecate bounded towards them.

"A very nasty demon. Leo, get them out of here!" she snapped and fired a bolt of anger at Hecate.

The horned demon simply laughed and leapt towards Phoebe, her razor sharp claws coming in for the kill. Billie flicked her with her telekinesis, abut all she did was stumble and gave a deep roar as she leapt towards Billie instead. Piper blasted her off target, and Zankou entered the fray, firing a string of energy balls at the people still on the floor. Paige orbed them back towards him, and Leo grabbed all their helpers and orbed out, with Elise grabbing the Book as they orbed away. That left the sisters and Billie to deal with these two demons. Piper continued to blast away at Hecate as did Phoebe, while Paige and Billie attacked Zankou.

"You cannot stop me you foolish witches! I will slay you all." Hecate vowed.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Billie looked at each other.

"How did you get rid of this two the last time?" Billie asked, flicking a couch at Zankou.

"We got him when we got the Nexus and we stuck her in a dagger, which I assume Prue has." Piper said irritably.

"Typical." Billie said, and Hecate leapt back at them, her claws gouging a chunk out of Billie's shoulder.

Billie fell, shrieking in pain, and Hecate crashed an energy ball into Piper that sent her slamming through the same wall Prue had been thrown through by Shax.

"Piper!" Phoebe screamed, hoping it hadn't happened again. She fired a bolt of love to Piper, and the bolt made a shield that deflected Hecate's next attack.

"Others!" Paige yelled, orbing Piper to safety.

"Insolent fool! That was my kill!" Hecate spat, charging at Paige

Paige then grabbed Billie's wrist and orbed them out just before Hecate got to them. Hecate growled in annoyance, while Zankou looked amused.

"What are you grinning about? They escaped!" she stormed furiously, enraged that she had come so close, if she had been a bit quicker, Piper would be dead.

"Yes they did. But now they are on the run. Now, to find them, we need to make use of what we have at hand." Zankou said, leaving the conservatory and heading through to the hall.

"Ah, the Nexus! Excellent idea." Hecate said happily.

Zankou snorted.

"Boy are you behind the times. The Nexus is gone, thats how they got rid of me, they got me with it. No, what we have at hand is much less powerful, but just as interesting." He said, and picked up Piper's address book.

"You're going to phone her?" Hecate asked.

Zankou rolled his eyes.

"No. Phoebe has moved out of here and has her own place, and Paige moved in with her new husband. As a result, we can reasonably ascertain that they have gone to one of those places as a fall back location. Most likely Phoebe's condo. So all we need to do is find her address then we can go there and finish them off." He said wickedly.

XX

Leo and Kevin quickly got to work, healing Piper and Billie, while the others looked around nervously as they sat in Billie's uni room. It was a tight squeeze but it served, as knowing Zankou he would probably going looking for them at Phoebe's condo and Henry's flat.

"How come your powers didn't harm her?" Henry asked Paige as she sipped a cup of tea.

"Well our powers before were too new for us to do any serious damage against her, but that time we had the dagger that she can be trapped in. This time, we don't have anything like that, we only have what we've got. And as the Power of Three and Belthazor didn't do much good, there is a slight possibility that we are screwed." Phoebe answered for her sister, looking grave as she did so.

"Hey now, you cant give up. There's times before when you've looked like you're beaten and you've kept fighting, and you won." Coop soothed her, massaging her slightly.

Piper groaned as she woke up.

"What did I miss?" she asked, wincing as she got up.

"Only Hecate soundly whipping our asses." Billie said sadly as Kevin finished healing her.

"You made a good move grabbing the Book Elise. When Zankou got his hands on it last time it didn't do any of us any good." Leo said, smiling wanly at her.

"Well as its your magic book, I didn't think leaving it for the bad guys was a very good idea." She said, looking at them in concern.

Darryl was flicking through the Book, his brow furrowed.

"How do you find anything in this damned book, its so big?" he asked wearily as he turned yet another page.

Piper smiled slightly.

"Hmm, just you wait until Wyatt, Chris and Melinda start putting stuff in it, it'll get even bigger. If we get them back and get a move on so I can actually have Melinda." She said sadly.

Phoebe went over to Darryl.

"When we need to find something in a hurry, this is what we do..." she said, standing back and looking upwards.

"It's useless looking through this book...we aren't going to find anything at this rate!" she called loudly.

And with that, the Book started flipping itself, making Darryl leap back in shock and the others all look around at it in horror.

"Does it do that often?" Henry asked, looking at it in shock.

"Only when we're stuck. Grams offers a little supernatural help from above." Paige said smiling.

"See, that's just spooky. She's probably looking down on me, making rude hand gestures and snide comments..." Victor said, looking resentfully upwards, and making a discreet hand gesture of his own.

Billie giggled.

"I'm sure she isn't dad." Piper said soothingly, and then a box flew off of Billie's wardrobe and nearly hit him on the head, and Victor somehow managed to glare up at the heavens and at Piper at the same time.

"Alright, she might be now, you've offended her." Phoebe said with a smile.

The Book stopped flipping and there was an irritable jingle, which prompted Victor to stick his tongue out skywards.

"Right, what does it say about Hecate?" Coop asked.

Darryl looked at it, seeing a picture of her true demon form rather than the human form the girls had originally met her in.

"_Hecate is a powerful demi-god, who was cursed into a poignard by the Triad to prevent her from having an arranged marriage with the Source of All Evil, as it would upset the balance of power in the underworld. Despite never actually marrying the Source at the time, she continued to call herself the Queen of the Underworld and found a way to release herself from her prison once every two hundred years. If she can conceive and give birth to an heir by the end of her break in imprisonment she will be able to walk the earth for eternity._" He concluded, looking grave as he did so.

"Well is there a vanquishing spell?" Kevin asked, his eyes narrowed in concern and looking at Billie worriedly.

"No. Not all the demons in the Book have a vanquishing spell, Zankou doesn't." Phoebe said irritably.

"What is it with powerful demons and wanting to walk the earth for eternity?" Paige asked distractedly.

"Never mind that. I thought you said the Triad was inside Prue. So if they imprisoned her in the first place, why would they let Prue resurrect her?" Victor pointed out.

"The Triad we think has been absorbed into the Source's powers, so the only two minds that are guiding Prue are the Source and her own. Good thing too, because if she had the Triad also dictating to her, it would pull her apart." Cole reasoned.

"So Prue wants to marry Hecate? Yuck, I thought she had better taste than that. Fair enough, Jack was a bit of pain but..." Phoebe said.

"No, she wanted to marry the original Source. But, when she was stuck inside her dagger, it became apparent that she would eventually want the throne itself, not the one beside it, so no one ever bothered to rescue her sorry butt from its prison." Cole said.

"Then...maybe thats what she's up to now. Maybe thats why Prue has sent her after us. Maybe she wants a potential competitor to the throne removed." Billie theorised, looking to the sisters for support.

Everyone looked at them and Piper narrowed her eyes in dislike.

"Well if she is, shes getting us to do her own dirty work, and I don't like it. Its a win win either way for her. Either Hecate kills us, and she's home free or we kill her and she gets her out of the way. Lazy cow." She said grumpily.

They all looked grave.

"Well, if she's basically a god, how the hell do you get rid of her?" Henry asked in confusion.

"Yeah, she's mentioned as a god in our mythology classes, a god of darkness like what Hades and Eris are usually associated with." Billie said.

"A God..." Leo said, his eyes going bright with realisation, and he orbed off.

"Does that mean he has a plan? I hope he has a plan, because without a plan, we're screwed. We cant fight a god." Paige said.

Piper was frowning, wondering what her husband had figured out. Then, it dawned on her, and rage coursed through her.

"Oh no you don't Leo! Dont even think about it, there has to be another way!" she yelled upwards.

"What, what's he doing?" Elise asked curiously.

Phoebe's eyes widened as she realised what Piper had realised what her husband was doing.

"Oh not again!" she moaned, not wanting to be turned into one in her current state.

"What's he doing?" Paige asked.

Piper grumbled.

"Giving you your trident back." She said irritably.

XX

Leo rushed up to Sandra and Odin.

"We need to make the girls goddesses again." He said breathlessly.

Hecate was a goddess in her own right and the only way to stop a god was to hit them with a god. Piper would be livid, but if it allowed them to survive Hecate's attack he was all for being in the doghouse for a few days.

Sandra and Odin looked at each other, and Odin narrowed his eyes.

"Out of the question. Last time they were goddesses Piper nearly destroyed San Francisco as she let her powers control her." He said stiffly.

"That's because she was upset that Leo was leaving her to join us. This time, he wont be, he only has his powers for the duration of the crisis." Sandra countered, then looked at Leo.

"Leo we trust your judgement..." she said, glaring at Odin as he let out a snort, "but we cannot just make the girls into goddesses on a whim." She said.

"Besides, they cannot be controlled. They present even more of a threat to the world than their sister does if they become goddesses. And isn't she proof enough that they cant be trusted?" Odin demanded.

Leo glowered at him.

"The girls have done nothing except defend good. Yes, they had the god powers before, and they did temporarily control Piper, but they lost their powers willingly, and Piper gave hers up. And for the record, Prue has been targeted by the Triad, and has had no way to defend herself from their plan, and she is still fighting the Source for control of her own body. If you don't make them goddesses they will die, and then who will defend you when the Source and her army of Darklighters come up here to finish off all the main advocates of good in the world?" Leo sneered to the stubborn Elder.

Sandra raised a hand before Odin could respond.

"You are right Leo. Odin, we have trusted the girls so far and they have never yet led us wrong." She said calmly, and Odin snorted again.

"Oh yes? What about when they abandoned their duties in order to live their own lives? If that isn't selfish and undermining to good, and along with leading us wrong, I don't know what is."

Leo looked at Odin angrily, then shoved the Elder into a wall. Odin looked at him in shock and raised his hands to defend himself, but Leo got their first and punched him in the face, dropping Odin to the floor. The next second Sandra was there and was gently tugging Leo away from the fallen Odin, who was looking up at Leo in shocked horror.

"How dare you. Look at everything the girls have given up to fight for the greater good, and when they actually need your help, you turn your backs on them. If you think they've undermined all the good they've done, and still have to do just by wanting to live out a normal life, then you don't deserve their fighting for the greater good. The girls, even Prue, are the best people in the world and they have given up so much, and have done more than you can ever know, fighting evil. Now, they need a little something back. If thats beyond you, then we'll go and ally with Prue, and help her bring you down." Leo said angrily.

He knew he was on very dangerous ground, and that Odin could probably recycle him faster than he could blink, but he didn't care. If Odin thought the girls deserved to suffer for wanting their own lives, despite all the good that they had done, then he didn't deserve the loyalty of the side of good.

"Leo, calm yourself. We will do as you ask. Odin is out of turn. We will make the girls into goddesses, and with any luck, they can stop Hecate, and then stop Prue." Sandra said, her voice calming Leo's anger.

Odin pulled himself up, his eye already turning blue, and looked at Sandra in outrage. She glared at him pointedly, and he relented without saying anything.

"Only the girls can save good now. If we do not make sure the girls survive this, then we will lose everything. Prue will destroy all for which the girls have fought and suffered. So, we will make the girls goddesses once more, as you suggest." Sandra said, and Leo nodded curtly and headed for the vault.

Odin came forward, spluttering with rage and indignation.

"You cant..." he began, but she cut him off with another glare.

"The girls deserve to be human as well as being Charmed. And they deserve to get a little something in return." She said boldly, striding to the Council chamber.

"What do you mean? He just punched me!" Odin protested.

Sandra rolled her eyes.

"Yes he did, and in my humble opinion, you deserved a good smack. And he's right, we need their help if good is to whether out this storm. The Triad did very well with this plan. Good is threatened in a way it has never been before. As such, we cannot be fighting amongst ourselves, and we don't need to be fighting with the sisters as they are the only chance we have." She said.

Odin sighed, knowing it was futile to resist. Sandra had made up her mind, and he suspected most of the others would side with her, as most of the current Elder Inner Council was made up of those who were pro-Charmed Ones. But one day that would change, he was certain.

Then he realised that there was something odd about what she had said.

"What do you mean, they deserve something in return?" he asked curiously.

Sandra smiled.

"We shall see. Come, we need to attend a very important meeting." She said happily, and summoned the rest of the Council, except for Kevin.

This had to be kept quiet.

XX

Leo was cooling down now that he was away from Odin. Odin had always been the most stubborn, obstinate and disagreeable Elder, and the fact that he had cheated and had tried to force Leo to join the Elders when he lost his memory had not endeared him to him or his family. And he just had a habit of always pushing the wrong buttons with him didn't do him any favours at all.

He reached up and picked up the small grey urn. Piper was going to kill him. On the bright side, she couldn't do anything until they had Melinda, and he had a secret weapon if she wanted to: she wouldn't want the kids to grow up without a father as they had seen what that had done to the other Chris. Grinning at how annoyed his wife would be at the fact that she couldn't get revenge on him, he began to read the inscription.

"_Eccere, oh, gee_

_Ac mando ma mento_."

The silver cloud left the urn and headed down towards earth. And then, he realised something Piper could do. As he was a Whitelighter again, she could blow him up with impunity.

"Oh nuts, I am so dead." He moaned and orbed down to his irate wife.

XX

Zankou and Hecate emerged into Phoebe's condo, and found it empty.

"You have been tricked Zankou." Hecate sneered.

Zankou sighed. No wonder Prue wanted rid of this demon. She was all too eager to take credit, but was very disinclined to admit she was wrong and frequently blamed others. Her powers and intelligence were great yes, but unlike himself, Barbas, the Seer and Prue, they were not tempered by wisdom and patience.

"Interesting. Perhaps they did no withdraw to either home. Come, let us return to the underworld." He said, hoping that Prue would not make him suffer for not having killed her yet.

"No, not yet. They might still be at the other sister's place. Come." She said, and they famed out.

XX

Piper stood tapping her foot irritably, and sure enough, seconds later, her sisters, her and Billie were surrounded by swirling silvery smoke, and were instantly clad in white robes. While Piper looked much the same, Phoebe's hair went long and blonde, and Paige's hair became styled upwards and turned deep red like she had had the last time she was a Goddess, and her trident flashed into her hand, and Billie's hair was done into a high up ponytail and she was clad in a white outfit with a short skirt and tight top, and a bow and arrow came into her hand, much to her great surprise.

"What the...?" Darryl demanded.

"Wait, you were under the influence of something when we did that charity auction?" Elise demanded, angry that magic had been at play at the event.

"Whoa." Kevin said, gaping at Billie, who smiled slightly and winked at him.

"Yay, my trident!" Paige cried happily, and Henry looked at her in shock.

"Wow...you look...great." Henry gasped, liking his wife with red hair.

"You think so?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah...if you were to go more strawberry blonde you'll look exactly like my first crush..." he said wistfully.

Paige looked at him.

"I don't know whether I should be flattered or offended by that." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"But you look way hotter than she ever did." Henry said with a grin, hoping his wife wouldn't smite him with her new powers.

Paige smiled, and Coop leaned forward.

"Good recovery buddy." He said, then turned to look at his own wife.

"Wow." He said simply.

"Thank you. Who knows more about love now?" Phoebe asked teasingly, playing with her long blonde hair.

"Billie, you look...just...amazing." Kevin said, strolling round her.

"Pull your mouth up kid, you're drooling." Victor said with a wink.

Billie raised a hand as if she was about to do something, but she was interrupted by the arrival of Leo from above. Piper turned on him, and he let out a whimper and didn't quite get out of the way quick enough as she blasted him apart.

"Ouch!" he wailed as he reformed.

"You turned us into goddesses again! What the hell did you do that for?" she stormed furiously.

Leo sighed, wincing under his wife's furious gaze.

"I'm sorry Piper, but we have no choice. Hecate is a demi-god. As such, you need to be a god to defeat her. At least like this, you'll have a chance of destroying her. The four of you can combine your powers and stop her." He said coming closer to Piper.

She looked up at him, her eyes clouded by worry.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere this time, I promise. This time I'm staying here, and you're only being gods to stop Hecate." He whispered and pulled her close.

"Love will show us the way!" Phoebe crowed, and she started to smoke out, when Piper raised a hand and stopped her.

"Hey!" she protested indignantly.

"I want out of these dumb costumes as soon as possible. So, all we're doing is going after Hecate and finishing her off." She said forcefully.

"But we need an army!" Paige protested.

"No we don't. We vanquish demons, we don't recruit them. Billie, what are you doing?" Piper demanded as Billie opened a window and aimed her bow outside of it.

"That guy smacked my ass last week. I'm going to give him a lesson in pain." She said irritably.

Piper looked at Leo questioningly.

"Oh, she's the Goddess of Hunting, as she likes to sound out her enemies and force them down. Which translates as she is quite vengeful." Leo warned.

Piper sighed and pulled her arms down.

"No, we cant shoot pervs I'm afraid. You can however shoot Hecate. Once we find her." Piper said.

Kevin, who was shooting a dirty look outside of the window at the guy who had made a move on his girl, began scrying for her.

"Should I be concerned that Phoebe doesn't look pregnant anymore?" Coop asked worriedly, looking at his wife who was still playing with her hair.

"No, it's because goddesses were seen as the height of physical perfection. She's still pregnant, we just cant see it." Leo explained.

"Got her." Kevin said, and Paige looked at the location.

"That's our house!" she said.

"Come on, I want out of these stupid robes." Piper said grumpily, grabbing her sisters arms and Phoebe took a hold of Billie's.

"Please don't wreck anything." Henry said pleadingly.

"We'll try." Piper assured him and they vanished in a swirl of leaves.

XX

Hecate snarled.

"They are not here Zankou. You have been outwitted." She snarled contemptuously.

Zankou glared at her. He hoped the Charmed Ones would hurry up and attack her and vanquish her, because she was getting on his last nerve. Blasted demon. He would actually have pitied the Half-Faced Source if he had inherited her when he had taken over the underworld, despite the fact that it was him who stuck him in his prison in the first place.

"No he hasn't." A voice said.

The turned to see a swirling of leaves and the sisters and Billie stepped out looking arrogantly haughty and sure of themselves. They were all now clad in white, and Phoebe and Paige's hair had changed colour. Zankou, who had read Piper's diary about their transformation into gods, realised what it meant and slowly edged into the kitchen.

"The Charmed Ones. Your new costumes will not save you." Hecate said confidently, preparing to strike.

Zankou then felt a surge of sympathy for her. She still felt she was dealing with their ordinary witch opponents. Not the gods that they had just become.

"Hecate, they are not just witches anymore, but gods! Keep your head down and make your way slowly and quietly towards the exit!" he called out to her.

Hecate laughed.

"You coward Zankou! It is time for the Charmed Ones to die!" she gloated evilly and sprang.

Zankou sighed. He had tried to warn her. Sighing, he headed to the underworld. If the Charmed Ones were gods again, they would undoubtedly be coming soon.

XX

Piper raised her hands and threw the leaping Hecate backwards with a gigantic gust of wind, that knocked a vase and several tables flying into the air. Paige then fired a jolt of electricity from her trident which caught Hecate in the shoulder and smashed her through the wall into Henry and Paige's bedroom. Billie then fired an arrow that caught Hecate in the gut, before Phoebe finished with a jolt of hatred that immobilised their foe.

"AHHH! I will kill you all where you stand!" she vowed, and to their great surprise leapt at them, her claws flashing down at them.

Phoebe span elegantly out of the way, and Paige slammed her trident into Hecate's back. She landed on all fours and slashed upwards, knocking her off her feet, before leaping onto Billie and going for her throat with her razor teeth. Piper conjured a ball of earth and slammed Hecate backwards and the hideous demon spiralled over the room and slammed into the tv, making her hiss in pain.

"Die!" Billie yelled and fired another arrow at her.

She sprang over the room, knocking Billie to the ground on top of Paige. Hecate then fired several energy balls at Phoebe. Phoebe grinned until they knocked her into the air and smashed her into the flat above, where she lay groaning. Piper then conjured a hurricane and blew Hecate out of the window, and the hideous demon fell screaming towards the ground below. She shimmered out just before she hit the ground.

"Dammit!" Piper said as the weakened others joined her.

"How come she didn't go for you?" Billie asked ruefully, rubbing her head.

"Because I'm the strongest. Observe." She said, and as she watched Paige wince at the mess of the room, she clapped her hands and it returned to normal.

"Thanks. But..." Paige said, and fired a jolt of electricity at a hideous leather seat.

"What was that all about?" Phoebe asked.

"I hate it. We can blame Hecate." She said brightly.

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Alright, come on, let's go and finish her off." She said and they swirled out of the room again.

XX

Zankou shimmered into the throne room.

"We have a problem." He said as he approached Prue.

"What, she's still alive?" Prue demanded furiously.

"I don't know. But the Charmed Ones and their protégé are now goddesses again. Meaning, they will most likely be coming here." He said warningly.

Prue rolled her eyes.

"Typical bloody Elders, ruining my fun. Dont worry. Shax my dear...get me the urn." She ordered.

Shax nodded slowly and whirled out of existence. They wouldn't last for long if they came down here.

XX

"Leo, what do you reckon that means?" Darryl asked as he read one of Billie's mythology books, which had a mention on Hecate.

Leo looked curiously at the article.

_The queen of darkness otherwise known as Hecate is powerful to be sure, however there is a great flaw in her defence. While appearing totally immortal like all gods, the gods of Olympus felt that her powers would one day become too great, along with her ambition. As such, Hermes under the order of Zeus, slipped her a potion, rendering the goddess vulnerable to the attacks of the four elements, earth, fire, air and ice. As such, if she ever tried to challenge any on Olympus, she could easily be defeated by any god wielding one of these four powers. Hecate knew nothing of this, and legends do not mention that this failsafe ever had to be put into effect, as by accounts from the Ancient Greeks, Hecate disappeared before the end of the age of the Gods._

Leo looked at it curiously, then grinned. This was brilliant. Even if the sisters failed to stop Hecate, they could be granted those powers and launch an attack that should be able to kill Hecate.

"Darryl, you're a genius! Thank god Billie does a decent subject at uni!" Leo said triumphantly, and looked through the small family tree that was in the Book, and grinned.

"Got it." He said triumphantly.

Phoebe's ancestor had the power of pyrokinesis, meaning she could conjure a fire that would be able to wind Hecate if she summoned that power. Piper's ancestor had the power of geokinesis from one of hers, while he knew Paige's enchantress ancestor had the power of aerokinesis, meaning she could use lightning. And also, Prue had had cryokinesis in a former life, meaning that if any of the sisters summoned their powers from the past, they would be able to hurt if not vanquish Hecate with said powers.

"Does that mean that they don't need to be goddesses? Pity, I quite like Paige as a red head." Henry said wistfully, while Elise smiled.

Cole then stood up, looking nervous.

"Do you lot feel cold all of a sudden?" he asked.

"Oh no..." Leo said, knowing what was about to happen.

And with that, Shax blasted the door to Billie's room apart, showering them all in splinters of wood as she tornadoed to a stop. He conjured an energy ball and blasted Cole into the wall, while the others leapt to the floor to escape his brutal attack. Coop flashed his ring at him, but Shax merely smiled sinisterly and spiralled over the room and sent the Cupid flying through the air. Leo and Kevin opened fire with electricity, but Shax simply spun in a circle, diffusing the attack as it became part of his whirlwind. He then zoomed around the room, throwing Billie's computer, her wardrobe and chair all in pieces to the floor, before crashing into the two Whitelighters and sending them sprawling.

"Fools." He hissed and headed to the urn on Billie's dresser.

Then, an athame came flying out of nowhere and hit Shax square in his light blue chest, making the assassin scream in pain. He turned to see Victor lying on the ground and he roared and conjured an energy ball, but then several bullets hit him in the back, from Henry and Darryl. Roaring in impotent rage, and wounded, he picked up the urn and spiralled out.

"Damn!" Kevin yelled furiously as they all got back to their feet.

"If the Seer works out how that thing works...the girls wont be gods anymore...and by now they'll have gone down to the underworld." Cole said worriedly.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"They'll get out of it. Come on, let's go back to the manor. Without the Nexus they wont see any point in keeping demons there, we'll be safe. And if we have the spell ready for the girls to say, we might just get out of this one." Leo said, and he and Kevin orbed everyone back to the manor, leaving Billie's room a wreck.

XX

Hecate shimmered into the throne room, blood gushing from many wounds.

"Incoming!" she roared.

Prue flashed her eyes up at the horned demon. She was meant to be dead by now. However, she was distracted from her irritation by a swirl of leaves and the arrival of her sisters and Billie, all clad in white.

"Well well well Piper, being a goddess suits you." Prue said, standing to meet her opponent.

"Prue." She said narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Mama!" Wyatt cried out happily at seeing her.

"Mommy!" Chris chimed in, and Piper span to look at her two absent sons, and felt her heart break.

They looked fine, but their eyes were red as if they had been crying a lot and she knew that the two of them missed having their mother and father around, and the fact that they couldn't orb must be upsetting them as well.

"Oh...thats the first time Chris has called me mommy..." Piper said tearfully.

"How touching. Now, what do you want Piper? Goddess or not, you'll have to fight through all of the demons down here in order to get to them." Prue said smugly.

Piper glowered.

"I'm taking my kids back now Prue." She growled, her voice menacing, as the others prepared for a fight.

It was then that Chris chimed in most unhelpfully, at least in Prue's opinion.

"Mommy, asshole!" he said pointing at Zankou, who made a tiny cry of panic, and looked desperately at a suddenly murderous Piper.

Prue cringed, and looked at her nephew irritably.

"Did you have to say that now when she's a goddess?" she demanded weakly, and Piper looked murderous.

"Oh dear..." Billie said, seeing that Piper was livid and there was about to be some serious ass kicking commencing.

"You know, considering what the other one was like, maybe we shouldn't be surprised that one of his first words is a profanity." Paige said diplomatically, though she was more than eager to fight.

Piper gave an enraged howl and a massive chunk of rock flew from the wall and slammed into Zankou, crashing him into the other wall with a painful crack.

"Kill them!" Prue ordered, and the room was suddenly full of energy balls that passed back and forth, as the sisters invulnerability rendered them invincible.

"Wyatt, shield!" Piper stormed, her voice terrible, and Wyatt promptly put up his shield around himself and his brother, while the Crone blocked them from view.

The battle raged, and Billie's arrows were blasting apart demons left right and centre.

"I feel like Legolas." She grumbled, and fired an arrow right through a fireball that had been fired by Xar, and it continued and caught the former Triad member right in the chest, vanquishing him.

Paige's trident was sending jagged lighting all over the room, sending demons, warlocks and Darklighters alike leaping for cover, and Phoebe kept up a powerful torrent of emotion projection, trying to blast apart the Seer.

Piper however was unstoppable. Enraged now that her kids were so close and she still couldn't get them, and further maddened by the fact that her kids had been crying, and even more so by the fact that her youngest son had just said mommy, and had then followed up with a swear word, she was in an uncontrollable rage. She gestured with her hands and opened a massive chasm beneath the demons and they all dashed to the side, and Piper then started ripping down chunks of the ceiling. The demons were forced into retreat, and Prue was cornered.

"We're gods...we might be able to rescue her." Phoebe said.

Prue gave a cry as she did so, and turned desperately to Wyatt and Chris.

"Wyatt, orb you and your brother to your mother!" she yelled anxiously.

"Prue!" Piper said, disturbed from her rage.

The Crone hissed and created another shield around the boys to stop them orbing to Piper.

"This isn't a good time for one of her episodes!" the Alchemist cried.

"No, but now would be a good time to get me out from under this damn boulder!" Zankou yelled in a muffled voice.

Dantalian leapt at the sisters, hoping to end the Source's struggles with one swift stroke.

"Uh oh...Piper, do you remember the spell to vanquish her?" Phoebe asked.

"Vaguely, but Paige..."

They had no choice as Dantalian was coming right for them, and one move from her and they could fall down into the chasm Piper had just opened.

"_Powers of light_

_Magic of right_

_Cast this blight_

_Into forever's night_!"

Piper and Phoebe had both said, it, as had Prue. The demons were looking at her in shock, and the Seer was looking very worried. The episode had just cost her dearly, as she had just vanquished a powerful demon with her sisters. If she had killed her with a fireball or something it would be so bad but it had been a Charmed spell, and hence her own rule may be threatened.

Prue then gave an enraged scream.

"Traitor!" the two Grimlocks yelled and sprang at her.

Prue's eyes went black again as Prue once more lost another round of her eternal battle with the Source for control of her own body.

"I am back in command!" she spat furiously, and fired an energy ball at the two of them, destroying them for their impudence in attacking her.

Piper sighed. They had missed their opportunity again. How could they save Prue if she kept having to fight the Source for control of her own body?

As she pondered that, there was a blue whirlwind and Shax entered, bleeding and carrying the urn to create gods. He stumbled at the edge of the chasm, and the urn fell from his grip.

"No!" the Seer yelled and flicked it towards her, and she caught it, smiling smugly.

"I really don't like the look on her face..." Billie said hesitantly, firing an arrow at her.

The Seer gave a laugh and opened the urn, and a silver cloud spread from the four of them, and their robes vanished, their hair returned to normal, the chasm Piper had opened repaired itself, and Billie's arrow vanished.

"Uh oh, we're normal again..." Billie said worriedly.

"Heavens!" Paige cried, orbing the urn up to the Elders.

And then Hecate was on them, her claws going for their jugulars. Billie and Piper attacked as one, making their opponent stumble.

"Kill them! I'll be glad when they are dead!" Prue screamed.

Piper looked at her sisters at the horde of demons coming towards them with murder in mind. They couldn't win, and fighting across to the kids would involve going through the Seer, the Crone, a liberated Zankou, Barbas, Shax and Prue herself. Despair and tears welled up inside Piper as Kane and a group of Darklighters arrived and started firing arrows at them to try and hit Paige. Her kids were so close, and she couldn't get to them.

"Get us out of here before I get us killed." She ordered in a heartbroken whisper.

Paige looked sadly at her and grabbed her arm. Piper looked across at her kids, who were crying.

"I will save you." She promised.

"Mommy!" the two yelled together as Paige orbed them to safety.

XX

Prue growled irritably, as everyone looked at her with daggers, and some with greed. Hecate, despite her wounds, looked delighted.

"The witches used thought manipulation, which is a skill of Phoebe's god form. I had no control over my actions, and the blasted good inside me was bolstered by her sister's presence. Besides, Dantalian was a traitor who supported a change in rule." Prue sneered as she sat down on her throne.

While some looked appeased, others didn't, and looked like they would support a change in rule themselves. Her advisers came to her.

"My lady, this is very dangerous. Your good self took over in the middle of a battle and vanquished Dantalian with witch powers, not demonic ones. You are in grave danger." The Seer intoned.

Prue glared at her.

"I know that! Prue's will is nearly insurmountable. We need a way to win back the plebs favour, and also a way to kill my sisters before I lose the throne entirely!" she hissed.

Hecate strolled forward, returned to normal by Kane's mercy.

"My my your ladyship...losing control aren't we?" she sneered in delight.

Everyone stopped their individual discussions to watch the exchange.

"Oh I am not losing control of anything Hecate. It is because of your failure that they attacked here after all. If you had killed them as you were meant to, after all, a god can kill another god, then we wouldn't have been attacked in our own sanctum! Your failure will not be tolerated anymore!" she roared and threw Hecate over the room.

Hecate rose in rage, but to her intense surprise and fury, the court was laughing at her. Prue had won back some respect just by dealing with her. Cursing, she forced down her temper and bowed.

"A thousand pardons my lady. I shall go now and finish them off. Come Zankou." Hecate ordered and disappeared.

"Remember your mission Zankou." The Seer said, not wanting that horned witch to take control of the throne through a coup, which if her visions were to be believed, as they often were, Prue might not survive. The Triad's plan had gotten incredibly risky and was coming apart at the seams. Prue's will was just to powerful for even the Source to overcome.

However, she then saw a vision. Prue, leading an army of demons into the manor, and the deaths of the sisters. Marvellous. Provided they stayed the course, that one would come true, and she would be able to maintain her position, and Prue would rule the underworld for an eternity.

"I wont." He assured her, and started to flame out.

"I will be along presently." Prue whispered softly.

She then turned to all the other demons.

"Leave us!" she barked and they all streamed out, far too many considering a coup.

But Prue had an idea. If the sisters did what she wanted, she would win back their support. But first, she had to calm her nephews before their crying drove her mad.

"You as well." She commanded, and the advisers also left, and she sealed the chamber, guaranteeing herself some privacy.

"Shh." She said, and Wyatt lowered his shield and she rocked the two of them gently, letting the maternal instincts the good Prue had kick in, and they began to calm down.

She then sent a resentful glance at Chris, who was cooing happily in her arm.

"I am so going to ground you when you get older." She said, smiling at the boy, and he smiled back, his green eyes, so like her own, looking up at her lovingly.

XX

They orbed back into the manor to find the others waiting for them.

"You're alright!" Henry said ecstatically, picking Paige up and hugging her tightly.

Piper got miserably to her feet and was immediately wrapped in Leo's embrace and he held her tightly.

"You saw the kids didn't you?" he asked huskily.

"I couldn't get to them...I tried, but the Seer took away our god powers, Paige sent them back up there, but I couldn't rescue the kids...whats the point in being the most powerful witch of all if I cant even rescue my own kids?" she demanded tearfully.

"We will get them back Piper." Leo said forcefully, willing her to believe it.

Phoebe came and hugged Piper tenderly.

"Look, Prue is still fighting for them, and she wont let anyone hurt them. She wont let them get hurt." She said consolingly, hugging her sister fiercely.

Piper looked at her sister with teary eyes.

"But Prue helped us vanquish Dantalian!" she cried, fully grasping the implications of the good side of Prue taking over.

"Well, surely thats good isn't it?" Victor asked in confusion.

"If she wasn't the Source, yes. But she's now put her throne under threat, and the demons, despite the fact that it was by her magic that most of them were resurrected, will see this as a sign of weakness, and they will challenge her. And as there is still good in her, and she is still Prue, and she does love the boys, they will be a target, and anyone trying to take the throne, like Hecate, will go after them first to get to her." Phoebe explained darkly.

"We're running out of time to stop her." Cole said worriedly.

"And we're running out of time before Hecate comes back for round two. And as we're not gods anymore..." Billie said worriedly, looking at Piper in sympathy.

"We have a solution for that don't worry." Elise said leading them through to the conservatory.

"Piper, we'll get them back. And there was some good news." Paige said, trying to cheer Piper up.

"Oh?" Leo asked.

"Chris called me mommy for the first time..." she said happily, then grinned, "then proceeded to call Zankou an asshole."

Leo laughed.

"That's my boy." He said proudly.

Darryl leaned down to whisper to Victor.

"He does realise that his child, who is nearly two, is coming out with profanities?" he asked.

Victor snorted.

"Hmm, profanities or wacky powers...which is better?" he asked with a wink, and Darryl laughed.

"So whats the plan?" Piper asked, her eyes clearing.

"Apparently the gods put a failsafe on Hecate to make sure she didn't get too big for her boots." Henry explained.

"They slipped a potion to her that renders her vulnerable to the powers of the four elements, fire, air, earth and ice." Coop said.

"What, so we stick her to the ground and let her get beat to death by the rain?" Paige asked in confusion.

Coop rolled his eyes.

"No Paige. According to Leo each of your ancestors had an elemental power. If you summon them to you, you can use them to fight Hecate." He explained.

Piper looked worried.

"But what happens if we need the four powers? Even if we summon them, we wont have all four unless we can somehow get Billie whatever power Prue's ancestor had." She pointed out.

There was then a flame beside them and Piper turned, blasting the demon before it materialised and blasting her through the conservatory window. Piper then raised her hands slightly when she saw who it was.

"Prue!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Prue grumbled as she got back to her feet.

"Ow. And I come here purely out the goodness of my heart to help you vanquish Hecate." She purred, stepping through the window to very hostile glares.

Phoebe raised an eyebrow.

"But do you come here as Source Prue, whose throne is being threatened by Hecate, or as good Prue, who likes to kick demon ass and wants to save her sisters?" she asked.

Prue smiled.

"A bit of both. Your sister is very resilient. I cannot bend her to my rule like I could Cole." She sneered slightly, glaring sat him.

"Firstly, are my kids alright?" Piper demanded furiously.

"Yes. I have calmed them down, and despite their long exposure to it, they still haven't been affected in the slightest by the evil present in the underworld. You love them a lot, I can tell." Prue said with a smile, and Piper looked at the others in confusion.

It was getting to the stage where they couldn't figure out which Prue they were getting, good or evil. And that made her all the more dangerous to them.

"So why are you here?" Cole asked.

"Hecate is coming, she must be checking the other locations for you first. And as you've noticed, I need rid of Hecate. After my good half took control and helped you vanquish Dantalian, others began supporting a coup. So, removing Hecate will mean that they have no figurehead to rally around, and will enable me to re-establish my authority within the underworld." She explained.

Piper frowned. Though it would suit her if Prue did lose the throne, as it might mean it would be easier to save her from being vanquished and make sure she back to where she belonged, it might mean that if there was a coup that could topple her she could be destroyed and not be allowed to wherever she was with Grams and their mother, and what was more she still had the kids, and any demon would exploit the bond that existed most likely against the Source's wishes between Prue and the kids, meaning that if they didn't help her, the boys would be in even more danger. And the thought of Wyatt being hurt, or being turned, or of Chris being hurt...Piper knew that despite what she wanted, she had to keep Prue in power in order to protect her kids.

"Fine. You can help us stop her." Piper conceded.

"But how? We're the power of three. If Prue joins in..." Paige said worriedly.

"We are all still part of the same family, and we are all Charmed Ones. It will work Paige. Have some faith." Prue said with a wink as they stood around the spell that Kevin had written for them.

"What about me?" Billie asked.

"You get out of here and protect the others." Piper said, not wanting anyone mortal around when the fur started flying, especially if Prue betrayed them as she suspected she would.

"But..."

"Billie sweetie, Hecate is very powerful, and so we need someone to protect the others if she goes after you. We'll call you if we need you." Phoebe said gently, and Billie nodded reluctantly, and she and Kevin orbed everyone bar Leo out of the road.

"She's coming." Prue said.

"We will save you Prue." Piper promised.

"Even with what I've done to your kids?" Prue asked sceptically.

Piper smiled.

"You're my sister, and the Source made you do that. So yes, even with that." She said, and Prue smiled at her sister, and Piper knew in her heart that it was her sister smiling at her, not the Source.

Which raised its own set of questions. If the Source was losing control of even small movements, and it wasn't a struggle for Prue to do such things, perhaps there was more hope than she had thought, and defeating Prue might not be as difficult as first thought.

So, for the first time, Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige stood with the spell, and for the first time ever, used the power of all four of the Charmed Ones.

"_Ancestors we ask your aid_

_Against our foe we cannot prevail_

_Lend us your powers to smite this evil_

_And together we shall avail_."

Four glimmering orbs came down from above and entered each of the four sisters.

"Did it work? Blame Kevin if it didn't." Leo said churlishly.

"I think so." Prue said, and raised her hands and fired a jet of ice that froze a section of the wall that she had been thrown through by Shax when she died.

Piper then raised her hands and a torrent of earth streamed through the air and piled at the bottom of the wall.

"Excuse me, but why does the clean freak get the dirty power?" she demanded.

"Just get used to it, the boys will bring in mess as they grow up." Leo said with a grin.

Paige fired a jolt of lightning that blew a hole in the wall and she nodded, impressed. Phoebe then created a wave of fire that set the wall on fire, and Prue rolled her eyes and froze up the flames.

"We have incoming." Prue said and turned to the doorway to the dining room, standing in front of her sisters, making Piper wonder how much the Source really was in control.

"Hey, you died, get into second position, I'm in charge now." Piper said childishly and stood in front of her.

Prue turned with a smile to Piper, and she once again knew she was her sister.

"I am _always_ in front Piper." She argued childishly.

"When you were _alive_. Now you're not, so I'm always in front." She retorted.

They continued to argue childishly, until Zankou flamed into the dining room.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded of Prue.

Prue stopped arguing and turned a disdainful glance onto him.

"I'm here to vanquish Hecate." She said in a bored voice.

"You entrusted me to do that." He said angrily.

"I know, but I fear she can only be vanquished by the Charmed Ones, and I want to make sure she is actually dead. So get out of the way, or this lot will have a good shot at vanquishing you as well, and I have already done three demons today, and I'm about to do a fourth, and I'd rather not go up to a fifth. Move." She ordered.

Zankou grumbled and went to stand at the foot of the stairs so he could get a good view of the fight that was about to occur. Leo then went and stood in the doorway, and nodded discreetly to Paige. Prue might not want Zankou dead but they certainly did. So, if he stayed here, he could give Zankou a good zap and hopefully let the sisters kill him after they stopped Hecate.

There was a burst of flame, and Hecate's hideous form arrived in the dining room and turned to glare at the sisters, then took a started step back.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded incredulously of Prue.

Prue smiled tightly.

"Putting an end to your revolt." She hissed, and her sisters gathered around her, ready to attack.

"So you are a traitor." She purred in delight, knowing that she now had all the evidence she needed to take the throne, once she killed all four Charmed Ones.

"No, just someone who wants rid of the coup in her back garden. Ladies...?" Prue asked, and with wide smiles, the four opened fire.

Ice smashed into Hecate, blowing her backwards and freezing her arms against the wall. Paige then fired jagged bolts of electricity through her body, making Hecate scream as her body vibrated. Phoebe then smacked her in the chest with a fireball and she gave a painful scream, before it became muffled by the stream of earth that Piper fired at her head. Hecate gave a gurgle, then dug her claws into the wall behind her and pulled herself up, smashing the ice manacles as she did so.

"I will kill you all, and I will take great pleasure in gutting you my lady!" she hissed and sprang at them.

Prue flicked her sisters away from the attack and ducked it herself, backflipping and bringing her foot up to kick Hecate in the jaw. The hideous demon smashed onto the table and Zankou and Leo then entered the battle, firing an energy ball and a burst of lightning, throwing Hecate through the window. She gave a bestial roar and leapt in the room, her claws flashing towards the sisters. She hurtled towards them, and Paige jumped up and fired blew a tornado around her, making Hecate lose weight and start turning around in circles in the room. Phoebe then poured two streams of power into the tornado, that travelled in opposite directions and started burning off Hecate's skin. Piper then added a torrent of mud to the effort, cocooning Hecate leaving only her head uncovered. Prue then covered her body with ice, freezing the mud in place, leaving only Hecate's head free.

"You will all be killed! You cannot what is to come! Evil will return to prominence!" Hecate vowed, her frozen body failing her as she tried to escape.

"Yeah, dream on sister." Piper sneered.

"Shall we?" Prue asked sweetly and they all grinned.

Prue then fired a forceful blast of telekinesis that blew Hecate's mostly frozen body across the room. Phoebe fired a jet of hatred that punctured right through her frozen body, leaving a gaping hole, which Paige then filled with her telekinesis.

"Piper?" Prue asked.

She then fired a blast of telekinesis as Piper blasted the hole. The two attacks went into Hecate's body and she gave an enraged scream and vanished in a burst of flames.

"Bye bye Hecate." Prue said with satisfaction.

"Well, we did it. Now, do we go back to brawling?" Piper asked, ready to fight her sister again if the Source was in command.

Prue smiled.

"No, I don't think so. You've done me a favour. Thank you." She said earnestly, and Piper wondered who it was, and before she could say anything else, Prue flamed out.

"Damn it." Piper said, her thoughts troubled. Which Prue was truly in control, and how could they keep them separate long enough to ensure their sister got back to where she belonged, and save her kids?

Zankou was then blown through and crashed into the table by Leo.

"Now!" he cried, and the three immediately set upon him.

Zankou raised a shield of fire but found himself backed up against the wall. The Source might have told him she was leaving, and no matter how good he was, he couldn't fend off four attacks at once. And as they were still elemental powers, he was losing ground fast and couldn't risk retaliating without getting himself blown up. And there was the Source herself...what sort of demon didn't attack the Charmed Ones, even if they did help vanquish a threat to the throne?

"You haven't won anything." He said smugly, preparing to jump out of the way and come up fighting.

But as he prepared to attack the door blew open and Prue returned, flicking Leo across the room, and nearly hitting Piper. And she was not the only demon to appear. Barbas flamed into existence beside her, and was followed by Shax, the Seer, Masselin, Devlin, Rex, Troxa, Javna, the Four Horsemen, the Tall Man, Vinceres, Kurzon, Sykes, and many other demons she had assembled. The sisters turned and fired their elemental powers at them while Zankou flamed to his mistresses side.

"I couldn't let my best demon get vanquished without a fight." Prue said, back in full Source mode.

"Billie, we need help!" Phoebe yelled and she immediately appeared with Cole and Kevin, who proceeded to join in the attack, with Cole turning into Belthazor and firing dozens of energy balls, while Billie started flicking demons back and Kevin fired his electrokinesis at the amassed demons.

Their elemental powers began to flicker, and Piper resorted to blasting away at powerful demons, but none seemed close to death with her attacks. Phoebe joined the fight with her emotion projection, while Paige started orbing things towards the demons. Leo stood with Kevin and attacked.

"You cannot win you fools! Your death is now!" Dumain yelled triumphantly.

Piper looked at the others worriedly. They were outnumbered, outgunned and out of options. Even with Billie, Kevin and Cole, they were all going to die, the boys would turn evil, and everything would effectively be screwed.

Piper was about to give her last words to Leo when a rainbow appeared beside her, and Riley, the leprechaun Paige was most friendly with, stepped out if it.

"Now laddies!" he yelled and dozens of rainbows appeared and dozens of leprechauns poured out of the rainbows, and attacked with powerful green magic that sent several demons staggering.

"Riley, what are you doing here? Cant you see this is dangerous!" Paige demanded.

"I know miss, but you were right last time, we cant stand back and let you fight this war alone. This is the big fight between good and evil, and if evil takes over, we're all doomed. The Elders have given permission for all magical beings to fight this war as well. So here we are!" he said, casting green magic at the demonic horde.

Prue smiled mockingly.

"Leprechauns? You intend to fight me with leprechauns?" she scoffed, but she quickly soured when lower level demons started being vanquished by them.

There were then many hearts appearing in mid air and Coop stepped out and dozens of Cupids attacked the demons with their rings, their pink energy forcing them back, making them lose ground and give the sisters some breathing space.

"Coop, whats this?" Phoebe asked, though she was delighted to see her husband.

"The Elders have given permission for everyone to join the battle, so I went and rounded up some support, and here we are." He said cheerfully, firing a shot at Abraxas.

Prue narrowed her eyes. They were only delaying the inevitable. But, if the Seer's books were anything to go by and the Elders had approved full out war against her and her forces, then every magical being, barring the Whitelighters and Elders themselves, would soon be here and fighting them.

The wave of reinforcements continued, as dwarves, elves, fairies, gnomes, gremlins, nymphs, oracles, ogres, satyrs, valkyries, gypsies and witches all appeared and began forcing them demons back. Prue hissed, knowing she was outnumbered now, and outgunned, as the tables had turned. However, if they stayed the course, they could at least kill the Charmed Ones.

There was suddenly several flashes, and Alpha, the leader of the Avatars appeared.

"Alpha?" Leo demanded.

"Hello Leo. The Collective has decided that we cannot take the risk that she would come after us next, our powers have still not recovered since the death of Beta. We are here to defend ourselves from their advances." He said gravely.

"But that goes against everything the Avatars believe in surely?" Leo said, as the Avatars didn't like to get involved with the endless fight between good and evil.

"Perhaps...but we also believe in survival Leo, and that is threatened if we do not intervene in this great battle." He said, and they too contributed their efforts.

"The Avatars? Interesting..." Zankou said musingly.

Prue knew then that they had lost.

"Full retreat." She ordered, and flamed out, and her demons followed her, leaving the house quiet.

XX

Piper smiled as the last of their magical assistance left. If they hadn't arrived, they'd all be dead by now. But now, she had a problem. Prue's throne might not be in as much danger anymore because of the death of Hecate, but if it got out that she had vanquished another demon with her sisters, then she would once more be threatened. But when Prue had been here, working with her three sisters, it had felt...good, and it had felt right. And the power boost they had gotten, by creating a power of four...it had been so good, and Piper had felt like she could do anything. And throughout Prue's visit, she could see signs that despite the Source having a great deal of control, the Source was having trouble overcoming Prue's will and her love for her family, and Prue had a lot more control than they had thought, probably a lot more control than the underworld thought. Which meant, they could save her sister and get her back to where she belonged, and get her kids back to.

Phoebe looked at the debris from the battle, deep in thought. The combined forces of all their magical forces had been very powerful. And, if this was their true Ultimate Battle, like they all thought, even the Avatars, then all the help they could get would soon be required. And the idea of a magical army to counter Prue's army of demons, warlocks and Darklighters was actually quite a good idea, especially as Prue's good side was actually beginning to fight against the Source. She had probed Prue gently during the fighting with her empathy, and she could feel moments of severe conflict, but she could feel both light and dark vying for control inside her. And Phoebe was just as determined as Piper to make sure Prue went back to where she was meant to be. But how was another matter.

Paige looked musingly at her sisters. Although she hadn't even met Prue before she had arrived as the Source and had tried to kill her, she still managed to feel the sisterly bond that she had with Piper and Phoebe. And she wanted Prue to go to wherever Grams and their mother was where she belonged rather than being stuck in the wasteland with the rest of the Source. And she was willing to bet that they could save Prue, and vanquish the Source. It was just a question of time.

"So that was close?" Elise asked worriedly.

"Yes, but the rest of the Elders, without any input from me I might add," Kevin said resentfully, "have decided to allow all the other magical races to join in this battle. As we speak, all of them are launching attacks on her holdings and whatever demons they can get their hands on."

"There is merit to that idea..." Phoebe said quietly, but ignored Victor's quizzical look.

Piper smiled.

"Yes, but we got out of it, and we vanquished Hecate, so we must be doing something right, and we have a host of allies who can actually help us fight for once. Things are serious this time. This is war now. But, on the other hand, Prue does still have a lot of good in her, and that might give us the opening we need. So people, lets get to it. I want my sister back where she belongs, the Source and all the other demons vanquished, and my boys safe and home. If the Elders have okayed it for all the races to go to war with Prue, this means that this, not the fight with Billie, is the ultimate Battle of our generation. And we had better win it." She said, to fervent nods, and everyone made themselves busy.

XX

"Not only did she stop Dantalian and Hecate's treachery, she, at great risk to her own life came back to rescue me from the clutches of her sisters. My friends, she is still fully in charge of the underworld!" Zankou called, to cheers of approval from all the other demons.

Prue smiled. Her gambit, of appearing to leave Zankou behind, had paid off. By going back simply to save him, she had shown that she cared for the people under her command and had re-won her support, especially because her main opposition was now dead. All had gone according to plan, and even better, Zankou had played his part admirably.

But the fact that the rest of the magical world was now arrayed against her was very interesting. Zankou and the Alchemist were already hard at work making the potions to vanquish the Avatars, and others were heading out primarily to fight these pointless interruptions.

"How long until we are ready to launch our next attack?" she asked.

The Seer frowned.

"According to Kane it will take about three months, but we still have the other new threats to deal with. And we do have at least enough demons to prevent your sisters from making an outright assault." She said.

Prue narrowed her eyes. She knew that would not last long. Piper wanted to save her sister, she knew that. And while the good in her was very powerful, and was undoubtedly plotting away whilst in submission, the evil was rising. And the longer she was down here the better. It was time to take a back seat as the Half-Faced Source had once done and direct the war effort. She knew her next plan risked outright war with the Elders, but if she succeeded it would be worth it. War was coming, and events were on the move. The longer this little proxy war lasted the more angry Piper would be, and she would come to save her kids and her sister. And then she would destroy them.

But, as always there was the constant presence of good within her that could undo everything...and given the chance, she definitely would. So all she had to do was make sure she didn't get the chance.

**That's the end of a couple of demons! Hecate is finally gone, and was destroyed by the Power of Four!**

**Things are getting dicey. The magical world is basically at war, and even the Avatars have joined the conflict now. Prue is torn between good and evil, but who is really in command? What is her next evil plan?**

**I hope you enjoyed some godlike ass kicking, as I might have said before Oh My Goddess is my favourite episode, so they would always make an appearance, and I hope you like the fact that Odin got a smack in the face. And what does Sandra have up her sleeve?**

**Next time, we take a bit of a jump, into early 2007, so poor Piper's second son turns two proper when he's trapped in the underworld. Three months pass, and the war between the Source and her forces and the Charmed Ones and their allies has been raging a while. Things are really bad, and big, if the Elders allowed them all to go to war. So what will happen next time?**

**All will be revealed soon, and we only have three chapters left! Charmed Season Nine is nearly finished!**

**I hope you're enjoying it, and until next time please read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Nine

The Shape of Evil

Another demon came shimmering in, in the midst of being vanquished. Prue cursed as he did so. While she still had the full support of the underworld, she was rapidly losing demons from the lower echelons. In the past three months, since the vast majority of the magical world had declared war on Prue's demonic faction, things had been incredibly fraught. The Charmed Ones, and Billie, had been leading the charge, and various magical creatures had been attacking her demons and undoing the plans for the war effort. This was quite remarkable, especially as two and a half months ago, Phoebe had been laid up giving birth to her daughter, who she had called Prudence Paige Halliwell. While very few upper level commanders had been vanquished, the defeat of so many lower level demons was seriously upsetting the Source's plans.

There was also the fact that the good part of the Source, Prue, was getting more and more powerful. With good and evil raging in a massive battle for control, neither side was more dominant than the other. Prue had fought her sisters at least three times since the entire thing had exploded into a war, and each time Prue had felt slightly stronger, undoing the Source at the worst possible time, just when she had been about to score a major victory and kill one of her sisters. It seemed as if Prue was still protecting them, years later. And all that did was make the sisters more determined to try and save Prue and make sure she wasn't destroyed along with the Source so she could go back to the peaceful afterlife she deserved. And that was exasperating the Source no end.

"Another lower level demon bites the dust." Barbas said disdainfully as the demon exploded.

"The good magical community is causing havoc with my plans. Now do you see why I did not allow the upper level demons to do anything but lead the lower level demons? If I had, my sisters and their allies would vanquish them and they would be knocking on the door by now." Prue growled.

"Well it doesn't matter if we lose them, they are mindless drones." The Crone sniffed.

"Perhaps, but they are mindless drones who make up the bulk of our forces. What battles do we have going on?" Prue asked as she swept up to her throne, with the boys play pen beside her.

After Masselin had tried to consume them when Prue's back was turned last month, she had moved them so that only she, the Seer and the Crone could touch them, and under her orders, due to the blasting they had received when Piper had been a goddess, Zankou was not to raise his voice above a whisper near Chris, as the small boy, who had turned two three months ago, was still calling every demon who went past an asshole. Masselin had been cowed and had only narrowly survived Prue's retaliation and was still being cared for by the Alchemist. The Prue part of her was encouraging the distance Masselin and other demons were keeping from them, especially as Wyatt had started orbing things against demons and attacking them with powerful sonic blasts when one came too close, especially when they snarled at him, and even more so if they looked like they were threatening his little brother. Zankou had been on the receiving end of several of Wyatt's attacks due to the fact that he glared at Chris every time he glared at the boy. While sore, they were not life threatening, and as they exasperated the demons, the Prue part of the Source was more than willing to let it go on, as it kept the demons in line. Also, despite their prolonged exposure to the underworld, Wyatt and Chris were yet to exhibit any signs of being turned evil. The Seer had also reported that this was not the same as what would totally change the future and make Wyatt turn out evil, because he still had access to someone who loved him, in his brother, and a parent figure in his aunt. The fact that said parent figure was always in flux between good and evil was irrelevant.

"Well my lady, the battle at the Ancient Burial Ground is still going on. Billie and her boyfriend, the only Elder that has violated their non-aggression rule have been defending it for weeks. Kurzon reports that they are far too entrenched to take out without more reinforcements, and even Valkyries have joined their force." The Seer reported.

Prue growled. The Ancient Burial Ground was the location where the Hollow was buried. While any side could summon it, if either side had access to the site where it was located, it would be a terrible blow to enemy morale. And the news that Valkyries had joined the sister's faction was very annoying. The valkyries were meant to fight the final battle between good and evil with all the warriors that they had trained. However, according to the Seer, there was an enormous battle between good and evil every generation or so, and a few Valkyries who were more inclined to one particular alignment would fight to prove themselves worthy of training warriors.

"That is most annoying. And how the hell did they get off of Valhalla? Vinceres is still attacking there isn't he?" Prue demanded.

"Yes my lady, but it seems as if they have secret passages in and out of the island. But the warriors are putting up a fight and are making it difficult for him, even with the considerable force he had, to break through into the centre of the island." The Seer reported, and Prue scowled.

"However, on the bright side, we have broken through in the leprechaun's realm, and we have the clan leaders on the run. Abraxas only needs to find the clan chief, and we suspect their resistance will collapse." The Crone told her.

"Good. What about the other locations?" Prue asked.

"Zankou is locked in battle with Alpha, the leader of the Avatars at the Eternal Spring, and has broken through, and has the Avatar on the run. Alpha fears this as Zankou has made several potions that can kill Avatars. Also, the Tall Man has taken Swamp Land, forcing Belthazor into retreat." The Crone reported.

"Excellent." Prue said, used to it by now.

Normally, the Crone and the Seer would take alternate times and tell her good or bad news. But overall, Prue knew that despite the news, the war was stuck in a stalemate. And it would remain that way until the ringleaders, either herself, her sisters or the Elders, were dead. And to that end she had a plan...and she was getting exasperated with waiting for it to come to fruition.

As she contemplated going down to light a dark fire under the Darklighter's backsides, Kane appeared and bowed deeply, a smile on his face as he did so.

"My lady, we're ready." He informed her, and she smiled.

XX

Piper irritably blew up another rat demon that had managed to sneak into the house. Blasted things had been slipping in and out the last three months, undoubtedly reporting to Prue down in the underworld. While Victor, Elise, Henry and Darryl were maintaining the illusion that everything was alright, Cole, Billie, Kevin, Paige and Coop were out in the magical world, fending off the attacks of the demons and trying to stop them from getting too much power. For the past few months Piper had been working endless hours, making vanquishing potion after vanquishing potion in order to aid the war effort, and at the same time was helping Phoebe with new motherhood.

Prudence Paige Halliwell was a beautiful little girl, with a few wisps of brown hair on her head. She had been born during an attack by a group of warlocks. They had repulsed the warlocks, and then they had delivered Phoebe's baby in her bedroom. She was a beautiful little girl, just like her mother, and she would often use her powers to teleport her mommy and daddy to her when she wanted something, as she had taken a few of her powers from Coop. Phoebe was delighted to finally have the daughter she had so long wanted, but was also terrified that a demon of Prue's would get through and take her away from her. Piper snorted at the thought. Considering all the demons that had come after Wyatt, a small part of felt that Phoebe was lucky that there was a war on because it meant that they at least knew who they were looking for.

Piper moaned as she poured another batch of potion into bottles. The presence of her beautiful new niece only served to remind Piper that her own kids were still absent. She hadn't seen Wyatt and Chris since she had made that abortive run to the underworld, and the hole in her heart caused by their absence was getting bigger. Wyatt and Chris were still incarcerated in the underworld, and despite several upper level demons attacking the holdouts of the good beings on their side, they still could not attack without getting themselves killed, even though Piper so wanted to. She had been going over scenarios in her head, pondering how she could get in, get her kids and get out. Wyatt, the one they were determined to stop going evil, her little boy, had been in the haven of all evil and under the schizophrenic protection of his Source aunt for months. Chris on the other hand, her beautiful little baby, who had turned two and she had not even been there to say happy birthday, she couldn't even be there on his birthday. And now that was two birthdays of his that she had had to miss. The demons had a lot to answer for. First Zankou and now Prue had stopped her celebrating her son's birthday. And now she had another worry. She hadn't found out how old Melinda was when they had gone to the future, and now she was worrying that she and Leo had missed their deadline in order to give her their little girl. Panic, fear and longing filtered through Piper at different times, and as a result she was becoming incredibly snappy and belligerent to everyone.

"Sweetie, you need to go and get some rest." Phoebe said kindly as she entered the kitchen.

Her hair was longer than it had been after they had vanquished Hecate, but she had lost a large bit of her bump, a remarkable feat considering she had been confined to the house for the last three months.

"No, what I need to do is find a way to save my kids and my sister...before I decide that it isn't worth the effort and just vanquish her sorry ass." Piper growled, and Phoebe hugged her, and Piper gave a deep sigh as she let her sister coddle her.

"You need to calm down. Go and relax, I can do some of this." Phoebe said, giving Piper a gentle nudge to the door.

"Phoebe..." Piper said in despair, her voice tearing up.

Phoebe looked at her sympathetically as she set down the baby monitor.

"Hey, we know it all turns out for the best, we saw it. You will get the boys back, and then you'll have a beautiful little girl." Phoebe said certainly.

Piper looked at Phoebe sadly.

"That's part of the problem, I don't if I will get Melinda. We might have missed our opportunity, and now I don't know if I will get her, and she'll disappear like you said Chris did..." Piper blabbered, her fears spilling out.

Phoebe clasped Piper's arms and her older sister's heavy breathing started to slow down.

"Will you relax? We've seen the future. The boys grow up happy and healthy, and you obviously had Melinda." She soothed.

"But that's just it Pheebs! The future changes! We did that ourselves, remember? Prue was one of us, was good and blonde, I had divorced Leo, and you were being burnt at the stake!" Piper exclaimed.

Phoebe sighed. Piper did have a lot of good points, and the fact that they still hadn't got the boys back was ripping Piper and Leo to shreds.

"Honey...go and rest. I know you're worried, I am too, but you can't go on like this. Go and spend some time with Prudence, it might make you feel a bit better." She advised.

Piper allowed herself a small smile.

"I would be a lot better if she would sleep the night." She said, and Phoebe glowered at her.

"Hey, I seem to remember when Wyatt was this age, he didn't sleep much either." She said irritably.

Piper sighed and nodded.

"True." She said mournfully.

"We will get them back soon sweetie." Phoebe said kindly, and she smiled.

"Thanks Pheebs. Have fun playing with my potions." She said and went through into the solarium to see Prudence sleeping in her playcot.

She was so small, and she was so peaceful that Piper couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. She was wrapped in a white blanket that Piper had knitted before all of this had stopped, and she had a small tuft of brown hair on her head. She had a small button nose and a little mouth, and she looked a lot like her mother. Torn between missing her boys and wanting a daughter, Piper laid down on the sofa beside the cot and dozed.

She stirred slightly when Leo orbed in beside her and sat beside her, a smile on his face.

"Good news?" she asked, as she picked up a stirring Prudence.

"Yes. Paige lured Abraxas right into her trap, and her and the leprechauns have flattened his troops. Alpha has lost the Eternal Spring, but he has taken what's left of his forces and has reinforced Billie, so Kurzon has had to abandon the Burial Ground. And before you start to panic the nymphs have sealed the spring so the demons can't use it." Leo soothed, correctly interpreting her scared look.

Piper smiled. This was actually quite good news. But, the problem with these fights was the fact that they couldn't fight the demonic commanders, as most of them required the power of three, and Phoebe was still confined to the house because of the baby. Piper frowned. If only they could take down a few of Prue's remaining upper level demons...they could get the kids back.

There was another shimmering orb, and a battle weary Kevin and Billie appeared. The two of them had been officially dating for about four months now, and Piper was glad of it, because the two of them were keeping each other going in this long battle against the Source. Kevin had broken the Elder's ruling that the only Whitelighters with any business fighting were Leo and Paige, arguing that as he was with Billie he couldn't just sit up in the heavens worrying about her. As a result, Sandra and some of the others had fought bitterly against Odin and had allowed Kevin to be on earth with the woman he loved. The kid had swapped his Elder robes for more practical clothing, like the sort of stuff the adult Wyatt and Chris had been wearing. Billie had also been fighting hard and the two of them appeared to have finally won the battle at the Burial Ground.

"Welcome home, it's good to see you two." Piper said happily.

"Thanks Piper. You look terrible." Billie commented as she saw her friend.

Piper snorted.

"That's a bit rich from two people who look like they've just been hit by an artillery round." Leo said with a small grin as he saw the smoking clothes they were wearing, along with the dirt the two of them had on them and the numerous grazes and burn marks.

"Yeah...Kurzon didn't take too well to getting beat." Kevin commented, flicking ash onto the floor.

Piper gasped and immediately blew him up, making Billie yelp in fright as her boyfriend reformed beside her, looking at Piper grumpily.

"Ow!" he yelled irritably.

"Sorry sweetie, automatic reaction...dirt on the floor." She said lamely, and Kevin glowered while Leo laughed.

Billie grinned.

"Look, I know we tried to kill each other, but I thought we were over that. And anyway, I never tried to kill Leo, well not intentionally, so can you please not blow up my boyfriend?" she asked, and Piper nodded stiffly.

"Suppose so." She said, then winked.

Phoebe entered and smiled.

"Hey welcome back you pair. It's good to have other reasons for the baby to wake up other than you two getting a bit too vigorous." Phoebe said cattily.

Billie and Kevin both blushed, and Piper decided to come to their rescue.

"Cough-Clay-cough." She said, and Phoebe went scarlet.

"Clay?" Leo asked curiously.

"I can't remember if you were about at the time, guy with the urn that Prue valued." Piper explained.

Leo shrugged as Phoebe took Billie and Kevin through to get them something to eat. Leo looked happily at Prudence.

"She's just like her mommy, and her auntie. Beautiful." He said, and Piper smiled.

"Yeah she is. She's so sweet." Piper said looking at her niece.

She was beautiful, and Piper was just as excited to have her as Phoebe had been to get Wyatt. Well, she supposed she would be if they weren't at war. But, while she loved her new niece to bits...she wasn't Wyatt and Chris, or even Melinda, who Piper was beginning to get worried that they wouldn't have at all.

"Yeah she is. And I know you're worried that we might not make the deadline for Melinda, but we will. Trust me, we will." He said earnestly and held her close to him, while Prudence woke up and her eyes brightened at seeing her auntie.

Piper smiled, and a small bit of excitement came into her. Yes, she loved her boys more than anything, but a girl would be very nice. Provided they got a move on, saved Prue and the boys and could have Melinda.

"I still don't get why Phoebe called her Prue, considering her namesake is trying her hardest to kill us." Leo commented as he tickled his niece's chin.

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but a small part of her is also trying to save us. And what's more she was our sister for years before she became the Source, and we shouldn't hold that against her." Piper said.

Leo smiled and kissed her forehead.

"And that sort of thinking is why we're going to win." He said confidently.

XX

Kane smiled as he showed him his best warriors. For the past three months, he had been giving all his Darklighters intense training in order to get ready for their next move, and the war was being fought only to distract them from their true objective. And now they could go after them.

"Excellent work Kane. They will serve us well." Prue said confidently.

"May I ask my lady...how do you plan to match the power of your sisters and their more powerful allies? They will surely interfere." Kane noted.

Prue nodded in agreement.

"Correct Kane. But do not worry I have a plan to deal with my sisters." She said.

"Asshole." Chris said cheerily from the Crone's arms, and Prue turned and smiled at him mock-sweetly.

"I hope you are not referring to me young man." She scolded with a raised eyebrow.

"Dumbass!" another young voice then piped up, and Prue cringed as she turned to look at her other nephew, in the hands of the Seer, who was also looking at him in surprise.

"Wyatt, where did you learn that word?" she demanded irritably.

Kane looked at her sheepishly.

"Sorry my lady, it might be my fault. I called that hideous woman Imara that the other day when she made a pass at me. He was nearby." He admitted.

Prue sighed.

"Typical. Ah well, if Piper comes down here and hears that son swearing now, you're on your own. Anyway, it doesn't matter as I have a plan that will keep my sisters out of the way while we deal with our true enemies. Kane, prepare your troops for victory." She ordered and swept out of the dungeon.

XX

Grams smiled as she finished Prudence's wiccaning.

"Oh, she is beautiful Phoebe." She said in delight, touching the baby's cheek.

"Look sweetie, I know it's not the wiccaning you wanted, but the longer we delay, the more danger she's in." Coop said to Phoebe, who looked a little down.

Phoebe scuffed her feet, and looked at Piper, who looked miserable.

"The boys should be here. And so should Elise, and Darryl, and dad and everyone else..." she said miserably.

Grams hugged her new great granddaughter and Phoebe simultaneously.

"I know my darling. But she is in considerable danger already with Prue acting as the Source. Are you any closer to defeating her?" Grams asked in concern.

"No. If we could get rid of some of the upper level demons, she would run out of commanders for her army and then we could go down there and vanquish her Sourcey ass." Phoebe growled.

"Which is part of the problem. As we want Prue to go back up to join you lot rather than get stuck to the wasteland like the good part of Cole was when we had to vanquish him, we actually need to find some way to split her from the Source part of her." Piper lamented.

Grams looked at the three sisters sadly.

"If anyone can find a way to save her, you three can." She said certainly.

"Thanks Grams." Paige said as she hugged her.

Phoebe looked around sadly. There was only she and her sisters, Coop and Leo present. All of them were in this together, the sisters, their husbands, Victor, Darryl, Elise, Cole, Billie, Kevin, and ever since Darryl had told Sheila of the severe danger they were all in she too had agreed to help, though she didn't like the fact that Darryl was actively involved in all of this. She had apologised for leaving, but she had said that they had to try and protect her family. They understood this all too well and had reconciled.

She looked fondly down at Prudence and stroked her baby's forehead, then gasped as she saw several monsters in the attic, and she knew automatically what that meant.

"Oh crap! Coop, take Prudence out of here now!" she ordered hysterically.

"Bad premonition?" Piper asked in concern.

"Very bad." She said as Coop teleported out with Prudence.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Leo moaned.

"Leo, take Henry and stop all the others coming back here!" Paige barked.

"No, Paige..." Henry protested, but Leo took his arm and the two orbed out.

Billie and Kevin then orbed in slightly off target, and Billie knocked into Phoebe and knocked her face first into the ring of crystals they had used to summon Grams, making Grams start in fright.

"Oh sorry we missed the wiccaning Phoebe, there was a group hiding at the Burial Ground, we had to get rid of them. And sorry I knocked you down." Billie said sheepishly, reaching her hand to Phoebe.

"You shouldn't be here!" she cried out, just as three magical balls shot into the room.

XX

Prue smiled. The three cauldrons, prepared by the Alchemist, were bubbling before her. And she already had what she needed, as her bond to her sisters, her Source powers and the other powers she had accumulated would do what she needed to do. All she needed was the incantation.

"_Scream of darkness and of pain_

_A Banshee do I seek for my gain_

_Turn this sister of mine so fine_

_And make her a Banshee one more time_."

The middle cauldron bubbled bright blue, and then the potion exploded, creating a light blue orb that shot away from her. That would deal with Phoebe, whose heart was vulnerable because of her fear of losing her daughter and nephews, and also because of her heartache that she was fighting a war against her sister. Now for Piper and Paige.

"_Pained heart of sister mine_

_Your heart hangs by a narrow twine_

_Return to being a Wendigo_

_And turn your deeds as black as coal_."

The left hand cauldron shone green and repeated the same process as before. Piper's heart was always full of love, and the fact that she was still absent from her sons had to be wreaking havoc with her emotions. And she would have formed a protective layer of ice around her heart to stop her seizing up altogether. A Wendigo was perfect for her to become. She then turned onto the final cauldron.

"_Fabled blue moon of the night_

_You turn a Halliwell into ghastly fright_

_Return the wolf to life for this fight_

_And let it take up evil's plight_."

The final cauldron glowed red and fired off an orb, and Prue smiled in satisfaction. In turning Paige into the blue moon beast, she had secured an added brand of insurance should anyone escape the coming attack. All was going according to plan.

_It wont work..._

Prue rolled her eyes at the good side of her. What she thought didn't matter. And when their attack succeeded, there would be less good in the world to keep the good part of her alive. All would be well again.

XX

The good part of Prue was irritated. She couldn't continue in this endless battle for control against the Source, even if they were evenly matched. She needed a power boost in order to try and expel the Source from her body, but she wasn't going to get one any time soon. And she knew full well that the Source's new plan would totally destabilise good and probably break the backbone of the army fighting it as they would be more concerned with what happened. Leaving her sisters vulnerable. It was all she could do to keep protecting the kids as much as possible.

But now she had to conserve her strength. A critical moment was approaching when good and evil's fate would be in her, well not hands, as the Source was using them at the moment, but whatever.

_Don't worry Piper...you'll save me, get your kids back, have that beautiful daughter that I saw in the future...save good...and live the life you deserve. Hang in there sis. You too Pheebs. And you Paige._

And with that, she began looking for whatever stray bits of power she could find, saving them up for when she would need it the most.

XX

The first orb hurtled straight for Phoebe, who looked at it in panic as Billie and Kevin dove to the floor. However, as the orb hit the spirit cage, something strange happened. As it hit, it let off a sound like a gong and bounced backwards...right into Billie.

"Oh crap." She cursed, as Phoebe winced.

Then Billie's blonde hair turned pure shocking white, and Phoebe, Piper, Kevin and Paige looked on as her red tank top and jeans turned into trashy grey robes that looked like they had been dragged through a paper shredder. Billie's face went pure white, her eyes went a vivid electric blue and two large fangs grew from her mouth.

"Oh dear, did she turn into what I think she turned into?" Piper demanded anxiously, and in response, Billie opened her mouth and a terrible scream punctured the air, and they all shrieked in pain, clasping their hands to their ears to try and block out the sound.

"Billie!" Kevin yelled in panic.

The screaming stopped, and she looked at Kevin curiously. She then sprang across the room, jerking her hand up and sending him hurtling across the room with a scream, where he slammed into a dresser, which collapsed on top of him. Billie let out another scream, shattering all the windows, and leapt through the open space and into the wider world.

"Kevin!" Paige cried in worry as Phoebe struggled back to her feet.

However, an orb then went into her, making her gasp. She then dropped to her hands and knees and immediately, she started to change. Her skin went a dark brown, scaly colour, and her face grew into an enlarged snout with ferocious looking fangs. Her eyes turned into a beastly yellow and her fingers and toes turned into long deadly claws.

"What is that?" Grams asked as she helped Phoebe to her feet, hoping she was safe in the spirit ring.

"That's the thing we turned into at the Blue Moon..." Phoebe said worriedly, and Paige leapt at her, teeth and claws flashing as she went straight for her.

"Phoebe!" Piper cried, raising her hands, but the spirit cage created a white shield, and Paige slammed into it, dropping her in a smoking mess to the ground. She staggered back to her feet, gave a pitiful howl and ran off through the window.

"Alright, what is it about this thing that's keeping bad stuff out?" Phoebe asked Grams distractedly.

"It's a defence mechanism to stop whoever gets summoned being immediately set upon by evil. Quite powerful as it turns out. Piper darling, in here!" Grams urged.

Piper started for the spirit cage, looking about apprehensively for the other glowing orb, but as she got a step away from it, it hit her.

"Oh no." She said in an exasperated voice, as fur started growing up her arm.

"Oh please don't be..." Phoebe begged, knowing full well that her prayers were going to be ignored.

Piper sprouted fur all over her body, and then her eyes went a vivid red and yellow, and long fangs and talons sprouted from her to top it all off.

"Oh great." Phoebe cursed, as Wendigo Piper snarled at her and swiped at the cage, resulting in singed fur.

Grams looked at Phoebe in worry. What the hell was Prue up to, changing them all into monsters? Something bad was about to go down, they could figure out that much. But if they wanted to stop Prue in her tracks, they would have to get Phoebe's sisters and Billie back before she achieved whatever it was she was going to achieve.

"Piper, it's Phoebe. Just calm down, and I'll figure out a way to fix you." Phoebe said, patting the air to try and clam the Wendigo.

"But the only way to unmake a Wendigo is to kill the one that created her." Grams said, looking warily at her other granddaughter, ready to assist if need be.

"I know, but Prue has to be behind this, so I'm hoping that there's some way we can undo what she's done." Phoebe said, hesitantly edging her foot outside the circle she and Grams stood in.

Piper roared and swiped at Phoebe's foot, which she hurriedly pulled in.

"Ok, she doesn't want me out of here. Oh please wake up Kevin!" Phoebe pleaded the unconscious Elder, who Piper had thankfully still to notice.

"Right, I'm already dead so I'll step out..." Grams began, but then there was a bang from downstairs, like the door being blasted open.

Piper growled in fright and turned to the attic door. Kevin made a little noise but went still again. Billie had hit him hard.

"What was that?" Grams asked, as she and Phoebe began to edge out of the circle while Piper was distracted.

"If I was in a cynical mood, I would say it's Prue coming to finish us off." She said, and no sooner had she said it, Prue flamed into the attic.

Piper roared and leapt at her in fury, but Prue blasted her casually with a blast of energy, and Piper skidded along the floor, before vaulting out of the attic, while Phoebe and Grams faced an irritable looking Prue.

"Phoebe. You aren't meant to be here." She said casually, striding towards the book.

"Neither are you." Phoebe growled, moving to intercept her sister.

Prue rolled her eyes, then looked at her curiously.

"Hang on, if you're you, who's the Banshee?"

Grams stepped forward, ready to do battle with her granddaughter.

"Billie is. Prue..." she said in despair, looking at their foe/family, her heart constricting.

Prue turned to Grams, and a little flicker of love and happiness flickered across her face.

"Grams." She said warmly, before the Source rested back control.

"Bloody hell! Right, Phoebe, just get out of the way." She said, but Phoebe sent a blast of fury at her, which she jumped back from.

"Not a chance." Phoebe growled, then fired three more bolts in quick succession.

Prue hissed as Grams came in at her from the other side, flicking objects towards her like a hurricane. Prue snarled and raised a shield, the glowing ball holding off Grams' attack while Prue flicked Phoebe to the ground. Phoebe slid along the floor, then rolled to her feet and renewed her attack.

"Not bad for someone who had a baby three months ago. I can't wait to meet her!" Prue said happily, and Phoebe wondered if it was the Source or proper Prue talking.

"You won't get your hands on her." Phoebe spat and kicked Prue in the chin with a roundhouse kick, sending her sprawling to the floor.

Prue snarled and rolled away as Phoebe tried to stomp on her, gesturing at Grams as she did so. Grams gave a surprised sound as she flew back into her spirit ring, turning from corporeal to spirit as she did so.

"Well that wasn't fair." She said huffily, stepping out.

Prue then flicked her back in as she sent a load of things flying at Phoebe, who dropped to the floor and rolled under them to avoid them, before coming up and kicking her in the gut. Prue hoofed in shock and flicked Phoebe into the ring with Grams, then flamed to the book and put her hand on it.

"Wait, how can she touch the book? She's evil!" Phoebe protested.

"It might be that the Source is learning to exploit the good in her for its own purposes...which is very serious." Grams said as Phoebe got back to her feet.

Prue smiled triumphantly.

"Now, to remove the leaders of good in one swift stroke." She said smugly.

Phoebe and Grams charged from the ring, right at her, but all that happened was that Prue lazily raised a hand and sent them flying back into the cage.

"Right, no more astral ping pong..." Grams growled and went after her again, but the same happened again.

Phoebe leapt back up and jumped at Prue, but it was too late.

"_From whence they came_

_Return them now_

_Vanish the words_

_Vanish our powers_."

Phoebe grimaced. She had just set loose her own telekinetic powers. At least, she hoped so. As she was alive and was Prue, she was still a Charmed One, despite being the Source. But if she kept going...

"Grams, do something!" Phoebe yelled as she levitated towards Prue, aiming to kick her.

Prue gestured and Phoebe flew into the wall, and Grams was sent flying back into the ring.

"_From whence they came_

_Return them now_

_Vanish the words_

_Vanish our powers_."

That had set loose Piper's, as Phoebe levitated into the air. But next would be hers...and then Paige's...and then they'd be totally screwed.

Then, it hit her, a way she could delay Prue and perhaps a way she could appeal to the good inside her.

"_Beloved Andy_

_We seek your guidance_

_We ask that you commune with us_

_And move among us_."

Prue's head whirled around in surprise as Phoebe chanted the spell. A stroke of genius. Showing her the face of her one true love might be enough to delay her...provided it worked first time.

But there was then a glow beside Grams, and Phoebe smiled as she got to her feet. Prue's face was fixed on the spirit ring, her eyes wide and her face ashen. And Andy Trudeau, the man she had loved, the man who had been killed by Rodriguez eight years before, appeared before her.

"Prue?" he asked in surprise, and Phoebe saw tears in Prue's eyes. She wasn't totally Source like yet.

"Andy..." she said in wonder, and Phoebe could feel the internal struggle, with the good Prue coming out on top.

And then, abruptly, it hit her. How they could free Prue of the Source and save their sister from being sent to the wasteland. It was so simple she was surprised she hadn't thought of it before. Love was the key. If they could use their family's love for Prue and somehow get it into her, she could use that to give herself enough of an energy boost in order to throw off the Source long enough for them to vanquish it. It was simple. And Phoebe knew how they could do it. Using her new emotion projection power, she could possibly give Prue the energy she needed. But first, she needed her sisters back, and to get that she had to survive this.

Prue looked at her dead love in shock, and Andy looked at her, neither of them saying anything.

"Prue...what am I doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"Andy, I..." Prue said weakly, but then the Source suddenly wrested back control.

"Oh no!" Phoebe cried, and Prue gave a ferocious snarl.

"I've had enough of this!" she said, and flicked Phoebe back into the spirit ring.

"Penny, what is going on?" Andy demanded.

"Well Andy, Prue has become the Source of All Evil, not willingly I might add, and Phoebe summoned you in an attempt to distract her long enough for her to get her away from the Book, but it apparently hasn't worked." Grams said, and Phoebe glared at her as she got to her feet.

"It _did_ work...sort of." She said lamely.

"Well it won't work anymore." Prue spat, and threw an energy ball at one of the five crystals that made up the crystal ring.

Phoebe didn't know what that would do, but Grams seemed to.

"Phoebe, get out now!" she barked, but it was too late as the ball hit the crystal.

There was a terrible cracking of electricity, and a powerful surge travelled through all the crystals, creating a storm of white light. Grams groaned and Andy yelped in surprise as the cage collapsed. And then, Phoebe felt a jerking movement from her navel, and next she felt like she was getting pulled into a giant whirlpool and next thing she knew, she was gone.

The Source looked at the area in surprise.

"Well, that was interesting." She commented as she cloaked her hand with goodness again and laid it on the book.

"_From whence they came_

_Return them now_

_Vanish the words_

_Vanish our powers_."

That took care of Phoebe's powers, breaking the original power of three. Now once more and the Charmed Ones would be finished.

"_From whence they came_

_Return them now_

_Vanish the words_

_Vanish our powers_."

Prue smiled in satisfaction as she performed the last spell. That was the end of the Charmed Ones. Before her, the pages of the Book started to go blank, their yellowed pages going from laden with information to being a blank piece of paper in seconds. It was finally over. She had defeated the Charmed Ones, and as Phoebe was who knew where, by the time she got herself out, there was a good chance Piper and Paige would be doomed to be the monsters she had turned them to forever.

However, her tactic of summoning Prue's dead love from beyond the grave had shocked the Source. The sheer power of the love she had felt as Prue had set eyes on Andy once more had nearly been enough to force her out of her body. Only Prue's resentment and anger at being the Source's new vessel and the fact that she had to fight against her sisters had saved the Source from being expelled from her body, and if she hadn't clung on, all the powers that had been amassed would surely have been lost. The fact that Phoebe had also summoned a mortal soul first time was also slightly worrying. The sisters were indeed getting too powerful.

But now, they were undone. Time to see if the other leaders of good were finished.

As such, leaving Kevin unconscious on the ground, she flamed upwards.

XX

Another Darklighter arrow thudded into the wall, where Sandra's head had been a second before.

"This is insanity! They're attacking us!" Odin raged as he blasted a curious warlock.

Sandra didn't have time to respond as she dove to the floor and rolled away from a hail of arrows fired by Kane. The Darklighter leader was getting far too cocky. As she rested against the wall for a second, she had a chance to look around.

Whitelighters and Elders were dead everywhere, Darklighter arrows sticking from their chests. Smoke and small fires were all over the white halls of the heavens, as was precious Darklighter blood. Demons were now looting the archives, warlocks were wrecking the meditation areas and Darklighters were surging through the halls, killing at will.

The smaller Elder Councils, such as the ones that dealt with the various good magical beings, had been decimated. The council that monitored new Whitelighters, the one that monitored would be Whitelighters and the two Elders that formed one half of the Negotiating Council had all been slaughtered. Other smaller Elder council members were staining the steps to the Sacred Vault with their blood.

Sandra winced as Adair, one of the two Tribunal members, took an arrow right in the neck and dropped to the ground. He was one of the eight High Council members, and if he too was falling, things were serious.

"We need to get out of here!" Sandra yelled, as Zankou fired several energy balls at them, which she and Jonas reflected.

"Agreed! Everyone, scatter!" Jonas roared, and the various fighting Whitelighters and Elders all darted in different directions and began to orb off.

"Where the devil are the Charmed Ones?" Aramis demanded, blasting at Shax, who simply blew the attack away.

"They were taken out of the game before the attack began, we are on our own." Jonas growled, as he prepared to fall back with the remaining High Council elders.

"This is Kevin's fault, his ties to that witch and the fact that he was attacking them has made it come to this!" Odin grumbled as he blasted back three warlocks.

"Don't be foolish. As soon as we allowed the situation to become all out war, this was going to happen. This is just the Source retaliating to us not preventing the situation from devolving into all out war." Cresta snarled as she leapt up and blasted Barbas backwards.

However she did not move quite quickly enough and Kane fired a shot that caught her right in the head, making Sandra gasp as her friend fell to the floor.

"Yes, this is purely the Source...I doubt Prue could have stopped this." Jonas said darkly, as another hail of arrows fired above their heads.

"And you want to..." Odin yelled furiously, but the rest of his sentence was cut off by the door of the Sacred Vault being blown apart by a well placed energy beam from Litvack.

Sandra frowned in annoyance. This wasn't Prue's fault, and if the Source had really wanted to do this, she couldn't have mustered enough strength to stop her. But the very fact that evil was now running amok inside the halls of the Elders was a sign of how things truly were. _This_ was the Ultimate Battle of this generation.

Never before had evil been so bold so as to launch an attack on the heavens. But now, invigorated by their new leader, even the Elder's splendid isolation had come to an end.

"We need a plan." Aramis called as the last few Whitelighters and Elders in the heavens marshalled at the steps for a final stand.

"We need to get as many of those Whitelighters and Elders out of here as possible. And we need to issue the global alert and ground all Whitelighters. Which means, we need to get to the gong." Jonas said grimly.

The gong was along the wall, a fair bit away from the stairs. The problem was, there were dozens of demons, warlocks and Darklighters in the way.

"We have no choice. We have to fight our way through." Sandra concluded.

There was then a deep bang, and she knew with rising dread what it signified.

"The Source is entering the heavens! The Source is entering the heavens!" a panicking Whitelighter yelled, and no sooner were the words out of his mouth than Prue broke through the final shields in place and flamed into existence at the head of the throng of evil doers heading for the stairs.

"That's it. We go _now_." Jonas said firmly, and giving a war cry, he raised a shield in conjunction with the other High Councillors and ran down the stairs, enveloping the remaining Whitelighters and elders there and they all dashed towards the gong.

"Kill them all!" Prue ordered, her eyes pure black.

Sandra winced. Out of all the Whitelighters and Elders that had been in the heavens at the time the attack had begun, they would be lucky if a quarter managed to escape. Now, the last sixteenth of that quarter had come together to try and make sure no other one of their kin walked into this tragedy.

The Elders' shield was still strong, but the numerous hails of energy balls, fireballs, energy blasts and Darklighter arrows were chipping away at its strength as the small group made for the gong. Then, Kane raised his crossbow, and got the shot he needed. It took out Thandor, one of the biggest supporters of the shield, and that was it. With the death of yet another High Councillor, the shield started to flicker, and arrows started darting through, taking down Whitelighters with screams of pain. The group was rapidly shrinking as they finally reached the gong. Jonas raised a hand and smacked it five times, the global alert.

"This is Jonas! Do not attempt to enter the heavens! The Source has taken command of the heavens! All Whitelighters and Elders are to remain grounded on earth for as long as needed!" he yelled, the orders firing down towards all the scattered Whitelighters, as another three fell to the arrows of the Darklighters.

"Make your way into hiding if at all possible, or if it so pleases you, fight back! But if you do so, do so in conjunction with others, and do not take unnecessary risks! Go into hiding or fight, but they are your only options!" Jonas yelled, and then the man next to him was hit, and that was it.

"It's time to go." Aramis said as Prue flamed in front of them, raising her hands.

"Not quite yet old friend." Odin said, and Prue attacked, two massive wreaths of flame pouring from her hands.

The Elders raised their own hands, beams of lightning coming from them and colliding with the fire. The remaining lesser Elders and the last few Whitelighters took this as a sign and orbed off, bound for freedom. However, it was now the four present Elders all alone against the Source herself, and against all the demonic forces she had brought to bear against them.

"The time of the Elders is over." Prue snarled, and Sandra knew that at a site of such great evil, no matter how powerful good Prue was, she could not muster enough energy to change this.

The two wreaths of power were still locked in the middle, but as good's dominance was now waning, evil was gaining the upper hand. Demons, warlocks and Darklighters spread throughout the heavens, looking for any still living Whitelighters or other Elders, while the four last Elders made their final stand, with Zankou, Barbas and the Horsemen coming to reinforce Prue, as a group of Darklighters took aim.

"You will not win!" Jonas said defiantly.

Prue and the demons laughed.

"On the contrary...we've already won." She said, but then her eyes flashed green, and the aim of the wreaths deviated just a little bit.

"Sorry!" Prue called, and the demons looked at her frantically, and Sandra and Jonas both looked at Odin pointedly.

They were right, and they would go through with what they had decided, if they managed to survive.

Aramis then telekinetically orbed the gong in front of them to act as a shield, and the resulting pings of arrows made them wince. But it was the split second they needed, and with a final nod to each other, the four Elders abandoned the heavens.

XX

Good Prue knew it had been risky to take control here of all places, especially when evil was so powerful, but she had had no choice. If those four Elders had died as well, who knows what could happen to good?

Prue had known for a while that the Source was planning to attack the Elders, and even the audacious Triad, who she could feel but the Source couldn't, had been shocked by that little fact. However, the Source had been using all its power to keep Prue from alerting her sisters. But, she had managed to slightly unhinge the Source's plans, which suited her.

And now she had to worry about her sisters too, especially Phoebe. The Source's fury had been immense, and Prue had been hard pressed to contend with it. And now, who knew where the devil the Source had banished Phoebe to?

But seeing Andy...that had filled Prue with such a powerful feeling of love, such a wondrous feeling that she felt like she could do anything. Her love for him, and the love for her that she had seen in his eyes...it had nearly undone the Source. Perhaps there was something to that, she mused.

But now, she had done all she can. With the Elders defeated and on the run, good's power would be threatened, and as such, her own ability to impede the Source would be impaired. Now all she could do was wait, bide her time...and hope that her sisters could save her, or if not, at least find some way to vanquish the Source once and for all.

XX

Prue roared in fury. The good in her had foiled her at the last second yet again.

"My lady?" Kane asked worriedly, and she grunted in frustration.

"You have done well Kane. In one swift stroke we have totally changed the playing field. The Elders are now scattered, divided, leaderless. We have broken the spine of good at last. With the Elders forced from the heavens, the good beings who continue to fight against us will mostly pull out of this war, as they will feel obliged to protect the remaining scattered Elders and Whitelighters. As such, they cannot fight us in a full out conflict and defend the remaining Elders at the same time. The forces good can bring against us will thus be greatly reduced. The Avatars will most likely be too shocked by this attack and fear for their own existence and will also pull out of the war effort. Meaning all we have left to deal with is the hardliners who refuse to admit that we have won." She said confidently as several demons ripped great works of art off of the walls.

Kane smiled proudly. This was the apex of everything the Darklighters wanted...the defeat of the elders, and the scattering of them to the four winds, which in turn would eventually lead to their extinction.

And, he mused as he watched warlocks and demons run throughout the heavens, destroying things as they went, she was right. The good beings such as the leprechauns, the fairies, the ogres and all the others such as that would now be far more interested in protecting the Elders and Whitelighters that went to them for help than fighting the war. As a result of their defeat, the Elders would refuse to get involved in the fight and would just sit tight in the hope that things would change, and that the Charmed Ones, currently monsters, would somehow be able to fix the situation. The good magical beings would still stand by the Elders, until all hope for good was destroyed and his Darklighters hunted them all down and exterminated the lot of them. Defending the leaders of good was now the ultimate priority, and without even the Avatars, who would most likely pull out due to fear that without the Elders to occupy them, they would go after them, good was now on the run.

And the fact that the Source had dealt with her sisters, with the possibility of destroying them once and for all, made it even better. It was a good day to be evil.

"Take anything you wish of value. Burn the rest." Prue ordered, and flamed out, a smile of triumph on her face.

XX

Phoebe finally decided to open her eyes, confident that she wasn't dead. And to her great surprise, she found herself in an exact replica of the attic. Bright white light was pouring through the windows, and as she looked around, she did so with confusion. There were several items in the attic, all of which had been either thrown out or destroyed in one of their many demonic battles over the years. How strange.

And then, she finally mustered the strength to look down at herself. And she gasped. She was transparent, ghost like.

"Oh no am I dead?" she demanded hysterically.

She couldn't leave her little girl, not so soon after she had been born. Or Coop. Or leave her sisters as monsters fighting Prue...

"No dear you aren't dead." Grams said as she entered the attic, Andy behind her.

"Grams? What the hell is going on?"

"Give me a sec, I'm working on it. Step out of the ring and let me see if I'm right." She told her, and ignoring the strange look she was getting from Andy, she stepped out, and promptly became corporeal.

"Hey, I'm solid!" she said in surprise, poking at herself, and Grams looked satisfied.

"As I thought." She said smugly, and then Phoebe turned to Andy.

"Hey Andy." She said and hugged him in greeting, which he happily returned.

"Hey Phoebe. It's good to see you, you look great!" he said, stepping back from her.

"Thanks, so do you...despite, well, you know." Phoebe said awkwardly, and he grinned.

"So, want to explain what the hell happened down there and why you saw fit to interrupt me in a close game of poker with a couple of buddies?" he asked.

Phoebe looked sadly at him.

"Cliff notes version, six months ago, Prue was turned evil by the Triad and Tempus. They made her into the Source, and since then she's resurrected a massive bunch of demons, has kidnapped Piper's kids and has been trying her hardest to kill us. This morning, she turned Piper into a Wendigo and Paige into a Blue Moon Beast and the spell that was meant to turn me into a Banshee bounced off and hit poor Billie. Then she came into the house and started to relinquish our powers. I summoned you in the hope that it would delay her enough for me to stop her. And it sort of worked." Phoebe reasoned.

"Whoa. I die and the whole world goes to pot. No wonder Prue never made our night out last week." He commented, and Phoebe looked at him in confusion.

"What? You still go out even though you're dead?" she asked curiously, and Grams smiled.

"Just because I spend most of my time watching you lot doesn't mean Prue and your mother don't have lives. Your mother's away bowling this afternoon." She said dryly.

"Wow, being dead doesn't seem all that bad." She commented, and as she did so, her mother entered.

"Phoebe!" she yelped in shock.

"Hi mom." She said and hugged her mother.

Patty returned the hug, but then held Phoebe at arms' length.

"Are you dead? Did Prue kill you?" she asked urgently, and Grams shook her head.

"No she didn't. You see, Phoebe was standing in the spirit ring when Prue decided to blow up one of the crystals making it up. The result was a massive chain reaction of energy that ripped open the portal we come down through and it sucked Phoebe up. In other words, it's just like them summoning one of us, only in reverse, as technically for want of a better term, we've summoned her." Grams explained.

Patty visibly relaxed, but Andy still looked concerned.

"Wait a minute, if Prue is the Source, does that mean you three are going to have to vanquish her?" he asked worriedly.

Phoebe smiled tightly.

"Not necessarily. If all goes well, and the plan that I have up my sleeve works, we'll be able to get Prue back up here where she belongs, and send the Source to burn in the wasteland where it belongs. But that involves me getting back down first. So how do I get back down?"

Grams shrugged.

"I think it's just a case of waiting for someone to summon us."

"Well that isn't any good if the others are monsters though is it?" Patty asked in concern.

Phoebe shook her head.

"No, but Leo could do it, and Kevin is technically a witch as well as an Elder, so he can do it when he wakes up too. All we can do is sit tight and wait. And if they don't take the hint, you can give them a supernatural prod in the right direction." She said, and Grams grinned.

"Correct. Don't worry Andy, we will get her back." Grams said soothingly, and Patty winked at him.

Phoebe took a deep breath. Her plan could actually work...but only if she could save her sisters.

XX

The four Elders landed in the middle of a deserted alleyway. But, now that they had lost the heavens, the demons could easily track them.

"Right, we need to lose our robes, meld in with the mortals, that way we might be able to escape detection." Jonas said, then smiled slightly as he saw several washing lines above him.

A while later, the four of them had discarded their robes and were now dressed relatively like mortals, though all three of the men looked rather uncomfortable. Sandra however, found the jeans she had appropriated quite comfy, she could see why Leo didn't like changing when he orbed up.

"Alright, now that we have to wear these wretched clothes, what is our next move?" Odin demanded.

Aramis looked to Jonas gravely.

"Jonas, you must get to safety, meet up with the fairies and others that will protect you. You are our leader, and as a result we will need you if we are to recover from this debacle."

Jonas looked worried.

"I don't know, perhaps I should..." but the head shaking of both Odin and Sandra cut him off.

"No, Aramis is right, as our leader, you must survive. Go underground Jonas, and take Aramis with you. Odin and I will try to locate the Charmed Ones." Sandra said.

Odin looked at her sceptically.

"You think they are still alive?" he asked.

Jonas sighed.

"We'd better hope they are or we are doomed. What will you do if you find them?" he asked.

Odin stroked his chin in thought.

"Realistically speaking, because of the attack on us, the magical species will most likely come to our aid as they did when the Titans attacked. Meaning, as most of them will be more interested in protecting whatever other Elders managed to escape, we will no longer be able to keep up the state of warfare we've endured the last three months. And I doubt many of us will fight. And I doubt the Avatars will stick around either. Meaning that if we are to survive, some of us will most likely need to order the Charmed Ones on what to do." He concluded.

Sandra smiled slightly. If Odin thought he was going to be able to order about the sisters, he was in for a rude awakening.

"In other words, we will join forces with them and help them fight as their support is about to become unavailable to them. But that involves finding them. Good luck my friends. Hopefully we will all be able to meet again when this is over." Sandra said, and Jonas and Aramis orbed out.

"Now what?"

"We go and find them. I can feel Piper in a general westwards direction." She said, and they orbed away, just as a couple of Darklighters arrived, looking for them.

XX

Leo orbed into the attic with Henry, Victor and Elise in tow, while Coop teleported in with Darryl, and Sheila, who had Prudence in her arms.

"Kevin!" Henry yelped in shock as he saw the unconscious kid and Leo immediately rushed to him and began healing him.

"Where is everyone?" Sheila asked worriedly, standing close to Darryl while Prudence looked as if she was about to cry.

"Phoebe?" Coop called, and Kevin gave a groan as he woke up.

"Take it easy buddy, you've had a busy day." Leo said gently, helping him to his feet.

"Ow, she has a wicked right hook. Billie got turned into a Banshee." He moaned as he stood upright.

"A Banshee? What does that mean?" Elise asked worriedly, looking around nervously.

Leo frowned. He knew he shouldn't have brought any of them, but he was short on time and options and the fact that he couldn't feel Piper was alarming him slightly.

"Didn't Phoebe get turned into one of them before?" Darryl asked curiously, and Leo nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't see why Billie would be turned...unless Prue did it. Uh oh." He said, and headed for the book to check it out.

"So where are Piper, Phoebe and Paige? Did you see what happened to them?" Coop asked Kevin urgently, and he shook his head sadly.

"Sorry Coop, I was knocked out. For what it's worth though, I don't think they're dead, or you'd have felt it. They're around, we just don't know where." He said soothingly.

"Yeah, but Leo said he couldn't feel Piper, and Coop can't feel Phoebe either." Victor said darkly.

Leo then gave a yell of surprise.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Henry demanded looking wildly at Leo.

"The Book of Shadows has gone completely blank! There's nothing in here at all!" Leo said in panic.

"Well, while that normally would sound good to me, it isn't at the moment. What the hell happened to it?" Victor demanded.

"It means that the girls must have given up their powers. But why would they do that?" Kevin asked in shock.

"Unless Prue did...she would remember the spell they used the last time. That's alright then, if I'm right, it means all I need to do is do this..." Leo said, hoping to hell he was right, and began to heal the Book.

As Leo worked, Elise looked at the floor curiously, and picked up a blackened and warped crystal.

"What the hell happened to that?" she asked, holding it out for the others to inspect.

Darryl took it, and frowned.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't natural." He concluded, and tossed it to Coop, while Sheila and Prudence looked on in concern.

"I reckon it was Prue. She's been here all right. But if so, where are the others?" he asked grimly, looking around, fear for his wife growing inside him.

"What if Prue got them...?" Sheila asked in worry, her eyes full of concern and fear.

"No. We'd have felt it. And besides, the Book is healing, meaning at least one of them is alive." Leo said as the Book was returned to its previous state.

He had no sooner finished his healing than the Book abruptly started flicking, making him jerk his hands away to avoid paper cuts.

"Now that's impressive." Sheila said as the book continued to turn its pages.

"Does it do that often?" Elise asked curiously as they all watched it.

"Normally when Grams wants them to do something." Leo commented, wondering if she saw what had happened to the girls.

"Penny? Oh no." Victor moaned, and Leo grinned.

Kevin looked at the page it stopped at curiously.

"To summon a spirit...who does she want us to summon? Herself?" he asked.

"I don't know, but she normally watches the girls so she might know what happened, so get on with it while I start scrying." Leo said, and Henry got Kevin another crystal and put it into place.

"_Hear these words, hear my cry_

_Spirit from the other side_

_Come to me, I summon thee_

_Cross now the great divide_."

And to their great surprise, a solid Phoebe appeared in the middle of the ring.

"Phoebe! Are you dead?" Coop demanded hysterically, rushing into the ring with her and hugging her.

"No honey I'm not dead. I'll explain what happened later, but at the moment we have bigger problems. Piper's been turned into a Wendigo, Paige is a Blue Moon Beast and Billie is a Banshee." She explained as she stepped out of the circle.

"Well we knew about Billie, but how did Piper and Paige get turned into beasties?" Victor demanded.

"Prue turned them into them with her powers, and then she attacked. As you saw, she stripped us of our powers. Did you fix it?" she asked Leo urgently, and he nodded.

"Of course I did. Problem is, it means Prue now had her Charmed powers back as well. And if we don't stop Piper and Paige before they hurt anyone..."

"Then my powers will be at risk too, I know. So we need to find them. And, I think I have an idea on how to save Prue as well." Phoebe said with a smile.

They all started moving about, fetching the map and the crystal so she could scry for her.

"Aren't you better with that spell that called Paige to you after Paige died?" Darryl asked curiously as he took Prudence and rocked her.

"It won't work because they aren't witches at the moment, one of them is a Wendigo and the other is a werewolf thingy." Kevin said.

"But I should be able to scry for them." Phoebe reasoned, as she started holding the crystal over the map.

"Phoebe, you said Prue attacked here?" Elise asked, something odd in her voice.

"Yes, why?"

"And Piper, Paige and Billie had already been turned into monsters by the time she arrived?"

"Yeah, well Billie had run off, but Piper and Paige were both still here, why, what's the matter?"

Elise looked at her curiously, a strange note of worry in her eyes.

"Well if the others were both monsters, they clearly wouldn't be firing on all cylinders, correct?" she reasoned, and Phoebe nodded cautiously, wondering what her friend was getting at.

"Elsie, I'm getting worried about where you're going with this..." Victor said, his eyes looking panicky.

"Well my point is, if your sisters weren't their usual selves, isn't it a bit odd that Prue didn't try to kill them?" she asked, and a terrible feeling started to develop in Phoebe's gut.

"Was good Prue in charge at the time?" Coop asked sharply, and Phoebe shook her head.

"No, she wasn't in charge until I conjured Andy to slow her down."

Darryl and Sheila looked at her in surprise.

"Wait, you can do that as well? I mean I can understand you calling down other witches, but Andy too?" Sheila asked.

"Yeah we can, but as he's mortal we can only do it in rare circumstances." Phoebe said, a nagging feeling at the back of her head telling her she should have figured something out by now.

"Wait a minute...if Prue was evil, why wouldn't she try to kill Paige and Piper?" Henry asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it sounds more like she just wanted them out of the way, and decided to strip their powers while she was at it..." Leo said warily.

"But what would be the point in that? Who else would the Source have it in for?" Darryl asked, and a silence fell as they pondered.

And then Kevin went a deathly pale.

"Oh my god...there's only one other group that Prue would go after if she wasn't after you three...us." he said, looking sickened at the very thought.

Leo shook his head urgently.

"No, it can't be. She wouldn't dare risk an open conflict with the Elders."

"Ordinarily, no. But evil has never been so strong, and she did resurrect Eames, and you yourself brought Prue up there years ago! She would maybe be able to use that and get into the heavens. That's what she's done! She's attacked the heavens!"

Phoebe looked pale. If the Elders had been wiped out, then they were truly on their own. Prue had done the unthinkable...and in one swift stroke had totally reorganised the balance of power between good and evil, and also the state of the entire war effort.

"What do we do now then?" Sheila asked worriedly, knowing from the looks on the faces of Phoebe, Leo and Kevin that things were really bad.

Phoebe looked up in determination.

"Right, this is what we are going to do. We are first going to find Piper and Paige and Billie. Then, we will check and see if any Elders have survived the attack. Considering how long ago they were turned they must have been forced out by now, so sending Kevin or Leo up might only get them killed. If we do, then we can see what we are going to do about the war effort and where we go from there. If we manage to do all that, then we might be able to go through with my plan, save Prue, and vanquish all those demons and hopefully fix this mess."

She then looked at Kevin sympathetically.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure you're not the only one left." She said soothingly.

"Thanks. But what if I am...and Billie's still out there...what if...?" he asked weakly, looking as though he was struggling to keep it together.

Henry went over and put his arm on his shoulder.

"Look kid, these girls are the best. And even though my wife is currently some sort of monster, we will find her, and Piper, and Billie, and then we can see about getting ourselves out of all this mess." He said kindly, and Kevin grinned.

Phoebe's eyes widened in realisation.

"Maybe there was some method to Prue's madness when she turned Paige into the beastie, they attack Whitelighters. Maybe she's hoping that she'll finish some off for her."

"So how do we find her?" Henry demanded, wanting his wife back before he was doomed to be married to a snarly beast forever.

"I reckon all I need to do is write a quick spell, and then you can lead us to her. Right, Leo, you come too so we can find Piper. Kevin, if you want to find Billie, I'm going to have to cast a spell on you." Phoebe said, and Kevin nodded.

"If it gets her back, I don't care."

"_The piercing cry that feeds on pain_

_And leaves more sorrow than it gains_

_Shall now be heard by one who seeks_

_To stop the havoc that it wreaks_."

Leo grinned as Phoebe performed the spell, and Kevin shrunk in height and morphed into a collie dog.

"What the, how, did you do that?" Elise demanded, and Kevin barked at Phoebe angrily.

"Sorry Kevin, but that's the spell. But now, you should be able to find Billie. So go on, where's Billie?" Phoebe cooed, and recoiled slightly when Kevin barked at her.

"You can turn people into dogs? Weird. After all the years we've known each other I never figured that you might be able to do that." Darryl reasoned.

Kevin then twitched one of his ears.

"Oh good, boy, where's Billie?" Phoebe asked and Kevin trotted from the attic.

"Coop, take care of Prudence, and keep the others safe." Phoebe ordered as she kissed his cheek.

"Be careful. With them in charge up there, we don't know how bad things we are." Coop warned, and Phoebe nodded as she headed after the dog.

"And don't forget to pooper scoop! I stood in some when I came out my car this morning." Elise explained, her nose wrinkling in response to Victor's raised eyebrow.

XX

They dashed across town, following Kevin, and eventually found themselves a few blocks away from P3. Phoebe looked at is sadly as she passed. Piper had originally meant to sell it months ago, but because of the return of Prue as the Source, and then the start of full out war had delayed it, and Piper had been embroiled in many irate phonecalls to her banker and her solicitor, and she had to keep saying that family concerns were preventing her from selling off the club. However, Piper was worried that that wouldn't last much longer, and that they would either force her to sell it off, or fix a date for its closure.

Phoebe didn't quite know how she felt about that. P3 had been Piper's club nearly since the beginning, and she didn't quite want to imagine it in the hands of someone else. It would be strange to say the least not being able to go there.

Kevin led them down an alleyway, and saw a girl up ahead, shaking and shivering.

"That isn't Billie." Henry stated as they ran towards her.

There was then a terrible ear piercing shriek from above, and they looked up, to see Billie screaming at the girl, leaping down with her talons exposed.

"No!" Phoebe called and fired a blast of annoyance at Billie, knocking her off target.

Billie slammed into the wall, and the girl gave a scream, covering her face.

"Get her out of here!" Phoebe ordered Leo as the girl opened her eyes, saw a snarling Billie and fainted.

Leo orbed to the girl's side, then orbed her away as Billie swiped at him.

"Right, so what do we do now?" Henry asked urgently as Billie bounded for them.

"Um...didn't plan that far ahead actually!" Phoebe said and shoved him out of the way, before Billie smacked her in the chin and sent her flying.

"Phoebe!" Henry yelled, and fired a bullet at Billie's feet, making her back off slightly.

Kevin then bounded up the alley and leapt at Billie, his four paws catching her in the chest and forcing her to the ground.

"Phoebe, reverse the spell, quickly, I've got an idea!" Henry yelled.

Billie was slightly stunned by Kevin's tackle, but she would quickly regain her senses. She had to move fast.

"_I call on the ancient powers to help undo_

_And make him walk not on four but on two_!"

Kevin returned to his human form and Phoebe whistled in appreciation.

"Boy I'm good."

Billie looked up at Kevin, who still had her pinned, but she was about to push him off and resume her attack.

"Billie, I love you!"

Billie, who had been bringing up her legs in an attempt to kick him off, suddenly stopped and looked at him curiously, and her hair returned to normal, and she transformed back into a witch.

"What?" she asked softly.

Kevin blushed slightly, not realising he still had her pinned.

"I love you Billie." He admitted, then bent down and kissed her on the lips, which she eagerly reciprocated.

"Aww." Phoebe said with a smile, while Henry rolled his eyes while grinning.

"I love you too." Billie said as they broke off, and Kevin the pulled her to her feet.

Phoebe turned to her brother in law.

"how did you know that would work?" she asked curiously, and he shrugged.

"I didn't. I was sort of hoping that she wouldn't want to smack him one and turn back to normal. But I guess this worked too." He said cheerily.

"Sorry Phoebe." Billie said sheepishly, as Leo orbed back.

Phoebe grinned.

"Oh that's alright Billie, I was a Banshee once too. But...stay away from Piper after she sees the mess of the attic. How is the girl?" she asked Leo, who hugged Billie.

"Conked out, Sheila and Elise are taking care of her, and Darryl says he'll take her home. Right, so how do we find Piper and Paige?" he asked.

"_Lovers lost so forlorn_

_In two your heart has been torn_

_Lead us to the one you love_

_And let your love be known above_."

The spell conjured a pink ball which fluttered into Leo's chest, and he gasped.

"Did you just invent that?" Kevin asked, impressed.

"Yep. Pretty cool huh?" Phoebe asked with a grin, and Leo looked at her.

"I know where she is." He said, and grabbed them all, orbing to the park where oh so many years ago Piper had first been attacked by the Wendigo.

"Piper?" Leo called, and then the hairy form of the Piper Wendgio leapt out from the trees, and Billie flicked Henry and Phoebe away from her claws, and then Kevin tackled her to the ground so she could avoid the swipe of his wife's claws.

"Piper, it's me. I know you're hurting honey. That's probably why Prue turned you into a Wendigo. But don't let her win. You aren't a Wendigo Piper, you're a witch, a wife and a mother, and a damn good one. We will get the boys back safe and sound, and then we will have Melinda and we'll have that family we saw in the future, I promise." Leo said, looking into her red rimmed, yellow eyes.

Piper drew up short, and lowered her claw.

"I love you Piper. So does Wyatt and Chris, and Melinda will too when we have her. And we _will _have her, I promise. Then we can have the life you always wanted." He said, and Piper returned to her normal form, with tears in her eyes.

"Leo..." she said and rushed to him and he held her close, kissing her head.

"Welcome back Piper." Phoebe said as she hugged her sister, and then Billie, Kevin and Henry hugged her too.

"Thanks. What have I missed while running around like Chewbacca?" she asked worriedly.

"We'll explain later, but now we need to find Paige." Phoebe said, and cast the spell once again on Henry this time, and he closed his eyes, and pointed over the other side of the trees.

"She's close, come on!" he said and ran off, the others close behind him.

They dashed through the park, over the road, and into a parking lot. At the top, they saw the beast that was Paige snarling and about to leap at a Darklighter.

"I don't get it, it was right here..."

Piper then blew him apart as Paige leapt, and Phoebe sent a beam of energy into Paige that made her fly through the air and smash down on the bonnet of a car, leaving a large dent.

"Right, now we've found her, what do we do? I don't think showing Paige Henry loves her will work this time." Leo said as the furious beast snarled at them and prepared to spring.

"_Blue moon has run its course_

_And for this we are no worse_

_Return my sister to what she was_

_Return her to the man who loves her most_."

Piper looked at her sister, impressed by the quick thinking, especially as Paige sprung through the air, and turned into human mid leap. Henry raised his arms and she landed right in them and he locked her in a kiss.

"Hi." She said breathlessly.

"Welcome back." He said with a smile.

"Thanks guys." She said with a smile.

As Piper was about to ask again what had happened during their absence, Sandra and Odin suddenly orbed in beside them.

"Are you guys alright?" Kevin demanded urgently, and Sandra gave him a slight smile.

"Yes Kevin we are. We'd have been here sooner but you three kept moving." She said to the sisters.

"Sorry, we were trying to undo what Prue did to them." Leo explained.

"What happened, what have we missed?" Paige asked, annoyed that she was being kept out of the loop.

"We believe that Prue had you turned into monsters in order to provide a distraction while she moved in on her true objective...us." Odin said grimly.

"What, Prue attacked the Elders?" Piper demanded.

"Yes. Many have been killed, though most of the High Council has survived, it's mainly those on the advisory councils who have been lost, along with whatever Whitelighters that were up there when the attack began. We've lost at least a fifth of our number, and we have scattered and gone into hiding." Sandra explained.

Piper looked up at Leo, and he shook his head, silently telling her that he would not be leaving her again. Mollified by this, she turned to the two Elders.

"So, what does this mean then?" she asked worriedly, having a sneaking suspicion that Prue had just caused an awful lot more damage than suspected.

Odin looked grim.

"We have heard from Jonas. As we suspected, the vast amount of what can be termed your army has pulled out of the war effort, and are forming bastions of defence around what Elders and Whitelighters have made it to them. As all of them usually look to us for guidance, they now feel honour bound to defend us in our hour of need." He explained.

"Which means that the largest part of your fighting force is now gone. And what's more, we have heard that the Avatars have fled. The Alchemist attacked and hit Gamma, killing him, so they have fled back to their sanctuary." Sandra added.

Piper looked at the others grimly. This was bad, really bad. Prue had just changed the entire game, and had totally turned everything on its head. The Elders had been forced from the heavens, their army was now pulling out in order to protect the Elders...all of which meant they were on their own.

"I'm not abandoning them." Kevin said boldly, earning a disapproving look from Odin and a nod from Sandra.

"Nor do we wish you to. We too will join you, and help fight Prue's rising power. And we will help and advise you as time goes on. But we are all as clueless as one another." She lamented.

"What do we do?" Paige asked Piper.

Phoebe looked like she was thinking.

"Well, I have an idea that might help us save Prue. Hopefully, the magic she used to resurrect them will still be powerful enough so we can vanquish the Source, and then we can take out all the other ones too, and then everything can go back to normal." She reasoned.

Piper took a deep breath, but she still looked strong and determined.

"Right. We are going to be careful, and we aren't going to panic. We are going to see who we have left with us, and then we'll decide what we're doing next." She said, and as she did so, Sykes and a lower level demon appeared.

Piper turned, her hands raised, but Kevin got there first. He blasted Sykes with electricity, making the Belthazor wannabe scream in pain, and the other demon was too dumbfounded to do anything about his partner's predicament. Kevin upped the charge, Sykes gave a cry, and then he was gone.

"Tell Prue...she might have taken out the heavens, but she hasn't taken good out just yet." He growled, and the demon vanished.

Piper smiled at him as the other two Elders looked on in shock.

"Alright Phoebe, what is this cunning plan of yours. And it better be good, because if I'm right, we aren't going to have long before we're going to have no choice but to use it."

XX

Prue was happily watching the boys. Something was beginning to change in them, she could feel it. Evil was beginning to get to them. So, provided the good part of her didn't comfort them too much, they would soon be on the road to evil.

A low level demon appeared suddenly, looking ashen, and Prue raised an eyebrow. The Seer, the only other demon present, stepped forward, looking curious.

"Where is Sykes? Did you find the Elders that Kane sensed?" Prue asked.

"Yes your ladyship, but the boy Elder, he vanquished Sykes! And your sisters are alive!" he moaned.

Prue growled in annoyance, then sighed. Ah well. She didn't think she could have scored a double victory. That would be too easy.

"And it seems as if that while some of the Elders are in hiding, some are going to fight." He reported.

Prue and the Seer looked at him sharply.

"What?" Prue hissed.

"The three Elders I saw there, they at least are going to fight!"

Prue gave him a sickly smile.

"Indeed?" she said, then threw an energy ball at him, vanquishing him with a scream.

She then turned to the Seer.

"Assemble all demons, warlocks and Darklighters. If the Elders want a war...I'll give them a war."

**Well that was unexpected! The bad guys have assaulted the heavens, and everyhting has gone topsy turvy! And we've lost the support of much of the army and of the Avatars.**

**Sorry this took so long but I was waiting until I knew Phoebe's daughters name before I wrote the chapter, but now we have little baby Prudence, who won't be called Prue as I'll most likely get confused.**

**Prue is going to war. Next chapter is the big battle! Who will win, who will die? What is Phoebe's plan? Will it work? Time will tell!**

**Also, I hope you like the Kevin/Billie thing...I wonder if they will survive... ;)**

**Hope you ar eenjoying this, two chapters left only! Until next time, please read and review, and there should hopefully be a one shot up soon!**

**Bye for now!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed (to my ever lasting regret)**

Chapter Ten

The Ultimate Battle

The fallout from Prue's attack on the heavens was just as expected. Much of the army that the Charmed Ones had been using pulled out and left to defend what was left of the Elders and Whitelighters. With their guardians out of the way, witches were falling prey to warlocks and demons left right and centre. Although most had managed to escape due to the intervention of Sandra, Odin, Kevin and Leo at the last minute, they had lost many brother and sister witches. Only the closest of the allies they had assembled over the years were still fighting, but it was no longer a massive fight like it had been before Prue's attack on the heavens. Now most of their troops remained at the manor because they weren't numerous or powerful enough to do anything other than defend.

However, the manor itself was a hive of activity. Baby Prudence was keeping everyone up at night by wailing the house down, and if she wasn't keeping people awake with her crying, Piper would be with hers, because the long absence from her children was finally overcoming her. The atmosphere was fraught and tense, and the only bright light on the horizon was the possibility that Phoebe's plan would work. However, Phoebe had also written a new spell which she hoped would also give them the edge when it came down to the ultimate battle.

"Go!" Piper said, blasting the pseudo-Prue, which was actually Kevin using a glamour.

Kevin hurtled backwards and Phoebe's power hit him head on. As they hoped she would, he raised a shield to defend himself. Phoebe's power smashed against the shield, and next thing Kevin fired an electric shock at her and sent her flying to the ground.

"Bang, you're dead." He said, dropping the glamour.

"You know it was a whole lot easier when we were doing practices of vanquishing Belthazor." Phoebe said irritably as she got up.

"You practiced fighting me? Who did you use as me?" Cole demanded angrily, and Leo raised his hand sheepishly.

"You used a pacifist Whitelighter? I think I'm insulted." Cole grumbled.

"Could have been worse, we could have used one of the leprechauns." Piper said tartly, making Riley laugh as he passed and earning him a scowl from Cole.

Sandra and Victor then orbed in from the bank, and Victor looked grim as he handed a letter to Piper.

"I think the bank's fed up of waiting honey." He said regretfully.

Piper frowned as she read the letter. She had kept putting off closing P3 because it was the only way they had been getting income for the manor ever since the conflict had moved out into open warfare. But now, they had finally lost patience and had decided to close it for her so they could sell it on. Obviously they were fed up of waiting for their investment to become free of Piper's own choice and were forcing the issue. As such, tonight would be the last night of P3. Piper looked at the letter in her hand and felt a burst of sadness. P3 was as much her baby as Wyatt, Chris and Melinda were. They had had good times there: such as the aftermath of getting the Half-Faced Source, landing Dishwalla, where she had agreed to marry Leo... But it had also seen its share of bad things: such as the vanquishing of Jeremy and Masselin, the turning of the entire audience into animals by a spell gone awry, its change into the Spot after Prue had died. And now, today was her final night. She had originally envisaged the final night of P3 as her entire family being there to wish it goodbye, before the bank sold it to someone new. Small chance of that happening.

"Aww sweetie...it's not going to be the same." Phoebe said sadly.

"Yeah I know." Piper lamented, looking at the letter.

Paige exchanged a significant glance with Henry, who nodded encouragingly, and she took a deep breath.

"Well, P3 doesn't necessarily have to leave the family..." she said hesitantly.

Piper looked at her and smiled sadly.

"Yeah it does Paige, unless someone else is willing to buy it." Piper said sadly.

"Well that's what she wants to talk to you about." Henry said, and Piper looked at him quizzically.

"Well you see, remember how before all this started I was looking for a job? Well it occurred to me a while ago that there's no place for really young kids to go around here, and you yourself used P3 as a crèche when Wyatt was little, so I thought why not?" she said uncertainly.

"Paige, what are you getting at?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Well if Piper agrees...I'd like to buy P3 and turn it into a crèche!" Paige finished in a rush.

Piper blinked. Paige wanted to buy P3? Smiling, she thought about it. Paige would be great at running a crèche, it wouldn't be that much hassle to turn into one, all three of them could definitely use one in the near future, and even better it would mean that P3 would actually stay in the family, so that one day maybe one of their own kids could take it over.

"But how would you pay for it?" Phoebe asked curiously, though she too looked intrigued by the idea.

"Well...we re-mortgaged the flat so we could afford it, and I can use some of my shares in P3 as it stands and use that as a deposit. And if we get set up...then we're in the clear." Paige said half-heartedly, not sure what her sister's thought of the idea.

"I think it's a brilliant idea Paige. And with the right word from the person in power, ie me, you should have a really good chance at it." Piper said happily.

"You really think it's a good idea?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, and let's face it, we were all going to wind up watching each other's kids anyway." Phoebe said with a grin.

"And this stupid war of ours can't last much longer. As soon as we get in towards Prue, it'll end and then everything can go back to normal. The restaurant can open any time, I just need my damned Source sister to stop attacking!" Piper said irritably.

"Aside from the fact that you still haven't named the place." Leo said as he piled up some more of their potions.

"I'm working on it, don't rush me! I've been a bit preoccupied worrying about our kids that are still in the hands of my evil sister." She said grumpily.

Billie entered just then, her hair frazzled after making so many potions.

"We have enough potions to destroy the city. Can I stop now?" she whined, and Piper smiled.

"Yes, Billie, you can have a rest." Piper said kindly and she promptly collapsed into a chair, and smiled as Kevin sat next to her and let her snuggle up to him.

"So are you guys any closer to perfecting your attack plan yet?" Sheila asked as she came in with Darryl, ducking a low flying fairy as they did so.

"I don't know. I think we need more people, but we can't risk many in a direct confrontation with the Source." Paige lamented.

Phoebe was just about to respond when she touched the Book, which Elise was casually flipping through. Darkness filled her vision, and out of it came a mass of glowing red eyes, and in the centre...it was Prue.

"Oh no." She said in a deadly whisper.

"Phoebe?" Coop asked uncertainly.

"We might have to risk it Piper. She's coming."

XX

Prue looked down at the masses of lower level demons that she had assembled. Kazi demons, swarm demons, vampires (whom she had recalled for this battle only), warlocks, Darklighters, borneo demons and many more.

"I still don't see why we need these lackeys." Litvack sneered.

"Because fool, my sister's, either through common sense or Phoebe's premonitions will know full well that we are going to attack soon. As such, they will be fully prepared for our arrival, most likely with some very nasty potions. As such...we have our shield." She said, indicating the massed demons in the massive courtyard below her.

Prue frowned. Her good part had been relatively quiet since the hiccough up stairs with the Elders. What was she up to? She didn't believe for a second that she had dealt with her for good. That would be too simple. Figuring she would deal with it after she had crushed her sisters once and for all, she looked out at the masses of low level demons below her, and nodded to the upper level demons who were on other balconies looking down at the army that she was about to unleash against the Charmed Ones.

"Loyal servants of the underworld, demonic elite, the time has come for the final battle! No longer shall we try and track down the remaining Elders. We shall finish them after we finish the sisters! We will crush them, and kill the Charmed Ones once and for all. And even better...the Seer has foreseen our victory!" Prue cried and the demons roared in triumph.

"Many will get sloppy now you've told them that." The Seer said tartly from behind her.

"Oh what's a few demons more or less when we will have the ultimate victory?" Prue asked.

"She does have a point." Zankou reasoned, whilst glaring at Chris and Wyatt who were holding onto Prue's legs.

"We will crush them all. It is time. And bring this two. It is time we end this." Prue said and she swept into her throne room to the large cauldron that was bubbling awaiting her presence.

XX

Phoebe looked at the little baby who was cooing at her in despair.

"I'm sorry baby. But you need to go with aunt Sheila ok? Just until mommy deals with the demons." She said, tears forming in her eyes as she kissed her little daughter's head.

"Mommy will be fine, and you'll be back here in no time. And your cousins will be home too." Coop promised as he too kissed his daughter goodbye.

Sheila looked at the two of them, then at Darryl, who refused to meet her gaze. Both of them knew that this could very well be the last time they saw one another. As such, while Prudence's parents said a tearful goodbye to their daughter, she went up to him.

"Why do you need to fight?" she asked sadly, and Darryl looked at her gravely.

"I need to. They're basically our sisters as well. And you knew when you married me that I wouldn't back down from a fight. I need to be here to fight, to try and protect them." He said quietly.

Sheila looked up at him desperately. She knew her husband wasn't a coward, and she knew that his sense of honour and pride would keep him here with the sisters. Yes she loved them as much as he did, but she knew that the two of them couldn't do much. Mind you, Victor wouldn't be able to do much either, but he was going to be fighting with the leprechauns and the ogres and everyone else who had come to their aid.

But, as she looked around, she knew that despite how powerful the sisters were, and how powerful their Elder guests were, that if Prue was truly coming to end things, they were going to be greatly outnumbered. And as such, that meant that this could be the end of the entire Halliwell family.

"Darryl..." she said, wanting him to come with her, but at the same time, wanting him to know how proud she was of him.

"I know." He said and kissed her deeply.

Sheila smiled as they broke off.

"You better survive this...because there's plenty more where that came from." She said, her voice faltering slightly.

"I love you." He said, and hugged her firmly, before she picked up Prudence's carry cot and left the mobilising manor.

Phoebe looked sadly at where her daughter had disappeared. Piper and Paige both stood beside her, holding her hand while she composed herself.

"We...we might not survive this right?" she asked quietly.

The thought of not being able to see her daughter ever again was torturing her. What if she never got to see the daughter, whom she had craved for so long, ever again? What would happen then? Would Sheila continue to look after her if the worst happened to all of them? Surely it wouldn't, surely one of them should survive what was to come if it went badly. But, all of them had refused to go, even Victor, saying his place was with his girls. So what would truly happen?

"Phoebe listen...we've faced massive battles like this before. The Source, Zankou, Billie, the Triad, Gideon...we survived them all. This one will work itself out too, I promise." Piper said fiercely, and Phoebe looked at her big sister, and supposed she was going through the same thing that she was. At least Phoebe had seen her daughter recently. Piper hadn't seen the boys at all.

So, Phoebe nodded, and so did Paige, but all three of them were terrified of what was about to go down.

"It's times like this you wish we still had the Nexus." Leo commented, looking pale.

"Well, we might have an answer to that." Elise said, entering with Victor, both of them looking apprehensive.

"A way we can get out of this safe and sound?" Paige asked.

"The Hollow." Elsie said grimly.

Odin entered and immediately looked alarmed.

"We cannot justify the use of the Hollow in any circumstances! It cannot be contained! It is too much of a risk!"

Piper looked at the Elder, and though she was loathe to admit he, he was for once right.

"No Elise, we can't risk the Hollow its too dangerous. We won't use it unless we have no other choice." Piper said grimly, and Elise looked worried but nodded an affirmative.

Piper looked around the room. The three sisters, their husbands, Darryl, Victor, Elise, Billie, Kevin, Cole and everyone else had been so good since all this had begun, pulling together as a family and fighting Prue's evil machinations. Since Sandra and Odin had joined the manor after the attack, along with the forces that still wished to fight, a fair few leprechauns and valkyries, a couple of ogres, a few fairies, a couple of helpful ghosts, two Avatars, a few practitioners, a couple of dozen nymphs, a handful of gypsies, some Cupids, a half dozen normal Whitelighters, a small cluster of lesser Elders, a clan of dwarves, a gnome or two, a small group of oracles, two sandmen, a small bunch of satyrs and a couple of other beings, including a unicorn and a centaur, had all come together.

But it was not enough. Many of those present were simply here to show their support for the side of good, and not be able to do much in a fight. But that didn't mean they wouldn't fight. And it was up to them to make sure as many of them survived as possible.

"We want to thank all of you for everything you've done. None of us ever thought something like this would happen, and you've all helped in your own way. But now we need your help one last time. Prue is coming to finish us. And we don't have enough power to stop her." Piper said grimly.

Phoebe looked at them all.

"I've written a spell that will hopefully summon more people to us to form an army to stop them, but to do that we need something from each of you." She said.

"And then we hope for the best. We aren't asking anyone to stay. This is our fight. But if you want to fight...you can." Paige said.

Everyone present looked at each other and as one, put an offering in the ritual bowl. A representative of each group did so, and when they had finished, they all looked towards the three sisters. The three of them joined their hands, forming a triquetra over the bowl.

"_Beings of magical descent, we seek your help and assent_

_War is upon us and the time is now_

_For us to make a solemn vow_

_Send us a force to stand hither and cause evil's ambitions to finally wither_."

There was a flash and the various items in the bowl disappeared in a burst of flame. Then great columns of light surrounded them all, and various members of each species gathered stepped out of the columns, looking grim.

"It is time then." Alpha said as he arrived, and received nods from everyone else as they all inclined their heads to the sisters.

"Time for war then." Coop said grimly.

The lights then flickered, and Piper turned to face the window to see a massive column of inky blackness rising from the ground and covering the sky.

"They're coming..."

XX

Prue looked at the cauldron.

"I feel like I should have on a pointy hat, a wart on my nose and be cackling. Ah well." She said and dropped the final ingredient into the pot.

"_Blackest of souls and darkest of wishes_

_Now is time to achieve our great ambitions_

_Cover the world in the darkness that is here_

_And turn the hope of good into fear_."

She stepped back as a cloud of blackness, not smoke but not smog either, curled up into the air and shot upwards, heading for the surface. The darkness would blind the mortals to everything going on outside the manor so that they wouldn't see anything that could expose them.

"Prepare to attack."

XX

All of San Francisco was under the blanket of darkness. Reporters, meteorologists and others were struggling to explain what this unnatural phenomenon was. But the Charmed Ones and their allies weren't. Everyone was nervously waiting for the start of the attack. Piper, Phoebe and Paige were standing in the doorway, ready to go out and fight, though all three of them were deathly pale. There was then a whooshing sound, and they looked up to see a warlock appear before them who Piper casually blasted apart.

And that signalled the beginning of the battle. Warlocks and low level demons blinked and shimmered into existence before them, and on the other side of the road, through the darkness, Piper could see the flames that announced the arrival of Prue and her cohort.

"Here we go." She said grimly.

"Begin the attack." Prue ordered and the warlocks and demons, hidden from mortal eyes by the great darkness she had created, gave a terrible war cry and rushed towards the house.

The greatest evil that had existed since Zankou was now trying to take down the greatest good the world had ever seen. Wyatt and Chris were peering nervously out from behind Prue's legs as the demons charged at the house. Shax was about to go in, but Prue raised a hand across his path.

"The pawns move first in chess." She said coldly.

Piper raised her hands and the battle was on. She was like a hurricane, blasting apart demons and warlocks without discrimination as they tried to get into the house. Darklighters orbed towards the house only to be repelled by the charms the present Elders had put up. Sandra and Odin gave screams of defiance and blasted several dazed Darklighters apart with their powers. Phoebe and Paige then joined in the battle, Paige's electrokinesis blasting apart demons, Darklighters and warlocks.

"Now!" Leo called from the upstairs windows and he and the practitioners, dwarves and leprechauns heaved their vanquishing potions right into the oncoming ranks, decimating much of the demonic lines.

Henry grimaced as he and Darryl plunged athames into demons that were trying to get into the conservatory. Elise and Victor were fighting hard in the kitchen with Coop, with athames, potions and bolts of pink magic blasting across the room as they held the enemy off from the doors. The Avatars fired down at the oncoming horde from their vantage point, while other beings, such as the centaurs and ogres, followed the sisters lead and fought outside.

"Let's see how well they last under bombardment." The Source's voice said, and the Seer smiled.

Good Prue would soon be gone.

Prue then stretched out her hand at a car, grasped it firmly, and with a massive display of power sent it hurtling towards the house. There was a scream from Phoebe as she saw the car bound for the house, and then the defending forces gave a cheer as the car hurtled right into a cluster of milling demons, vanquishing them. Prue looked up and hissed as she saw Billie on the balcony, having flicked the car back at her.

Prue snarled and sent a fireball hurtling towards the young witch.

"Billie!" Kevin yelled and as she flicked at a couple of swarm demons that were scaling the house, she couldn't angle on the fireball at the time.

"Fireball!" Kevin yelled, and the ball orbed back towards its owner, who flicked it away from her looking smug...until she saw where it was headed.

The fireball hit Famine, one of the Horsemen, and he screamed as he was vanquished.

"Hey, that was clever!" Kevin said brightly as he zapped down a few Kazi demons.

Prue snarled, and threw another car towards the house, which Zankou blasted with a fireball, turning it into a piece of fiery artillery fire. Sandra then orbed it back towards her and Prue had to flick the car into her own ranks to avoid being crushed.

Piper continued to blast, and the three sisters and their support were holding well. The demons had yet to break into the house, and the various enchantments Sandra and Odin had put in place were keeping the warlocks and Darklighters from entering. Phoebe used her hate to vanquish another few warlocks, but then a hand grabbed her.

"Phoebe!" Piper gasped.

"Hello Phoebe." Rex said, the warlock who had nearly gotten their powers when they had just started out at witches.

Before he could do anything else however, Phoebe took an athame from her waist and stuck it into his heart. Rex gagged, and was vanquished.

"Good shot sis." Paige said, orbing a fireball back at a demon.

The lower level demons, along with the Darklighters and warlocks were getting severely thinned out. The various magical forces inside the manor hadn't taken many casualties, and the various entrances into the manor were still being held off. Prue was getting frustrated, as were the upper level demons standing with her.

Grunting irritably she raised three cars into the air and hurtled them at the manor.

"Paige!" Piper screamed, and Paige orbed one away, and Billie flicked another one down into the street.

But the other one crashed into the attic, crunching through the wall and sending the Book of Shadows hurtling into the corner as the car blocked the attic door. There was a deep gonging sound and the wards collapsed, and Prue smiled.

"We're in." She said smugly.

Darklighters orbed into the manor, warlocks blinked and demons shimmered, and they started pouring in, vanquishing and killing all of the Charmed Ones support.

"They're in!" Billie cried as she flicked several demons away.

"Come on." Kevin said, dragging her towards the stairs as the last of the leprechauns was killed by the Alchemist.

Prue cackled and started sending fireballs hurtling towards the house. Sandra orbed one backwards, hitting Strife and making Prue curse in annoyance.

Belthazor was vanquishing demons as soon as they came through the door so much so that the kitchen was full of smoke. Victor and Elise dashed through to the conservatory with their forces to see the warlocks about to break through. Odin was rallying a defence but it wasn't going to hold out for long. Demons were streaming down the stairs and Billie, Kevin and Sandra were hard pressed to hold them off with their remaining forces.

Outside Piper, Phoebe and Paige were slaughtering their way through the front ranks, and Piper made a triumphant noise when she blew up the Kazi king, taking all of his warriors with him. Paige then orbed a piece of wood into the vampire queen and they all exploded as well, greatly narrowing down the number they were facing.

"Piper, the Swarm King!" Phoebe yelled, pointing.

"_Demon swarm that serves as one_

_Vanquish him from whence they come_!"

The Swarm king roared as he too was vanquished, and Prue snarled, seeing how thinned the ranks attacking the front of the house had now become. Irritably she blasted another fireball at the sisters, who were doing far better than they had any business doing and Paige orbed it into Death, making Prue snarl. She only had one Horseman left now.

"I've had enough of this. You lot, go in." Prue ordered, and the elite of the underworld rushed towards the doors to the manor.

Demons were now pouring into the manor from the stairs, the conservatory and the kitchen, and the defenders were hard pressed to stop them. Darryl grimaced as another energy ball came too close, and he looked nervously across at Henry as he avoided one of his own. They were losing ground fast, and with the sisters outside, they didn't have a way of turning the tide. Belthazor was vanquishing demons like crazy, but still more came.

"We need the sisters in here now Leo!" Victor cried, as he threw an athame into another warlock that had just blinked in.

Outside, the battling was still fierce and the front of the manor was permanently bathed in flame as the sisters vanquished demon after demon. However, now the upper level demons were attacking.

"Ludlow!" Paige cried in shock as the Source's recruiter came tearing at them, fireballs flashing towards him.

"Remember how to vanquish him?" Phoebe asked nervously as he got closer.

"Vaguely. Come on." Piper said, taking their hands.

"_The brittle winter_

_Gives way to flowers of spring_

_Ludlow is vanquished_!"

Ludlow gave a cry and exploded, and Piper shook her head.

"I still can't believe that actually works. You call that a spell, tch..." she grumbled and Paige shot her a sour look.

Piper then saw Wyatt and Chris peering out from behind a furious looking Prue. Piper started to edge forward, and saw Wyatt and Chris both say 'mommy'.

"Piper..." Phoebe said as her sister started blasting demons in order to get to her kids.

"Mommy!" Wyatt cried, and holding his little brother close to him, Wyatt turned to War, who was watching her slow progress with a malevolent expression. He then raised his hand, and Wyatt acted.

Raising his own hand, Wyatt concentrated, and War suddenly started to scream. Prue, the Seer, Shax and Zankou all turned to War in shock as he gave a cry of pain and was consumed by flames, and was vanquished.

"Wyatt...?" Piper said in shock, not knowing how her son could have vanquished the last Horseman.

Prue, Shax, the Seer, Zankou and Barbas all looked at each other in shock, and Wyatt instinctively raised his shield to protect himself and his baby brother, as if they would attack at any second.

"What the hell?" Zankou demanded.

"I thought only you could vanquish the Horsemen?" Barbas asked Prue, who looked annoyed.

"You just vanquished my last Horseman!" she yelled in extreme annoyance.

"Well then...that is interesting." The Seer said.

"I take it it's to do with his Twice-Blessed powers?" Zankou asked, but the Seer did not answer and was instead looking at Wyatt calculatingly.

Prue turned away from where War had been vanquished and turned to face Shax.

"In you go Shax." She said darkly, and Shax gave her a smile before whirling off towards the sisters.

Piper gasped as Shax hurtled towards them, and the massive gust of wind knocked her off her feet, and then Phoebe and Paige were thrown backwards into the manor were they skidded to a stop at the feet of the embattled defenders. Most of the help had been killed, though their family was still fighting. Sandra and Odin were keeping the enemy at bay, while Billie and Kevin were blasting away at a throng of warlocks. Victor, Henry, Darryl and Elise were in the centre, and Piper again lamented the fact that they hadn't left like she had wanted them to do. Belthazor was about to be overcome at the doorway to the conservatory, Coop was being forced out of the living room and Leo was thrown from the dining room.

"We're losing!" Billie cried, as Piper started blasting the demons that were storming through the manor.

There was then a chill and Shax blew into the manor, firing a blast of energy as he did so. Billie gave a small noise as she was picked up and thrown across the room, and smashed into the door to the cupboard, and she slid down to the floor, massive chunks of wood impaling her and blood pooling about her.

"Billie, no!" Kevin yelled, as the sisters looked at her fallen form in shock.

Kevin dove to get to her, but stopped short as dark orbs swirled before him, revealing Kane. He gave a wicked smile and stabbed an arrow through Kevin's heart. Kevin gave a gasp and he collapsed to the floor, his hand leaning on Billie's as he too died.

"NO!" Piper screamed and blasted Kane.

They couldn't lose the two of them, not now...

Phoebe looked at where their two friends lay dead or dying, and knew that things were only going to get worse. Kane reconstituted, and fired an arrow at Sandra. Odin shoved her out of the way and it lanced through his neck instead.

"Odin!" Sandra cried, but her cry was cut off as Kane quickly fired a bolt through her chest as well.

"Stop him!" Paige yelled to Piper, who blasted at him, but he orbed off before she could land another blast on him.

However, the death of the four of their friends had left the others vulnerable. Litvack shimmered in and calmly raised his weapon, and the thin beam of energy punctured a hole right through Darryl's heart. His gun dropped from his hand and he fell to the floor.

"NO!" Piper screamed.

Leo grabbed at her and looked desperately at her.

"Piper, we can't win, we need to get out of here!" he begged her, but Piper didn't seem to hear him as yet more demons hurtled down the stairs.

"Henry!" Paige screamed and waved her hand to orb him away but as she did so Troxa shimmered into existence and stuck a blade into his gut. Henry gasped and fell to the floor.

"HENRY!" Paige screeched as her husband fell to the floor.

Prue heard the cry from outside, and smiled. It was nearly over.

"Come. Bring the kids." She ordered the Seer and swept towards the manor.

Barbas then flamed into the manor, right in front of Victor, who gazed at him in fear. Barbas smiled and read his fears.

"Ah...your greatest fear is not being able to protect your loved ones..." he said and rose his arms.

Victor then began to see visions of Prue doomed to be evil, Piper being cut down by Prue, of Phoebe being killed by Cole, of Paige being murdered by Kane, of Wyatt being tortured by the Crone, of Chris being stabbed by Barbas and of Prudence being killed by Shax. Fear rooted him to the spot, and his heart was beating faster and faster as the horrific scenarios played out again and again.

"Dad, no!" Piper screamed...but she was dead, killed by Prue, so what was happening?

Victor couldn't move as he watched them all die all over again, and again, and again...

"You're frozen...in...fear!" Barbas crowed triumphantly, and Victor's heart exploded, his hair turned white and he dropped to the floor.

"NO!" Phoebe cried.

"Phoebe! You have to summon the Hollow..." Elise said, tailing off as the Necromancer appeared before her and fired a jet of electricity right through her, smashing her into the clock and dropping her to the floor like a stone.

Piper looked around with tear filled eyes. Only their closest family and Cole were left. Prue was about to enter the manor, and they had lost so much...part of her didn't see the point in continuing the fight when they had so clearly lost, but the other part of her didn't want to admit defeat, and didn't want to abandon her sons if she could avoid it.

Growling in righteous fury, she dragged Phoebe and Paige to her.

"We need the Hollow." She whispered.

Zankou then flamed in before Belthazor. Belthazor snarled and fired an energy ball at him, but Zankou simply deflected it.

"I've been waiting a long time for this traitor." Zankou sneered and fired three energy balls at Belthazor in quick succession.

Belthazor dove to the floor, and cut up with his claws, but Zankou sent a cloud of buzzing acid particles at him, burning his foe's face. The pain of the attack made him stagger, and Zankou threw a fireball that sent him to the ground and reverted him back to human form.

"So dies the mighty Belthazor." Zankou scoffed and threw an energy ball into him, vanquishing him.

"Cole!" Leo yelled in shock.

Coop was about to stop Leo rushing forward to face Zankou when he suddenly felt a blade in his back, and he fell to the floor, screaming in pain to see Imara's ugly face looking down at him triumphantly.

"Coop..." Phoebe said, forcing back tears.

"Phoebe, now!" Piper snarled.

"_Nos dico super inconcessus_

_Vox bonus quod malum_

_Ultirusque a profugus_

_Addo is hic addo is iam_."

The black vapour like cloud shot up from the ground, sounding like a hive of angry bees, and shot into the heartbroken and furious Charmed Ones, just as Prue entered and raised a hand, making the demons stop before they could give their powers to the sisters, and as such they all shimmered stood behind her, out of harm's way.

Prue smiled evilly as she entered the house, the bodies of the dead littering the floor. Leo was hovering awkwardly behind the three Hollow empowered sisters.

"And so it ends...stand down Piper and I might allow you to live." Prue purred, knowing that the moment was seconds away.

"Go to hell." Piper snarled.

Prue smiled, tensing, ready to make the final move that would see the end of the Charmed Ones once and for all. The absence of the good part of her was slightly worrying...but she could live with that.

"Dear dear Piper. I am not unmerciful. I can bring them all back, if you will only stop this." Prue said evilly, and the three sisters glared at her.

"I don't think so." Paige spat, her eyes red.

"You refuse to cooperate. Ah well...I suppose I will end up with three Charmed children of my own..." Prue said, fed up of this game.

"Never." Phoebe said, and as one, the sisters raised their hands and blasts of electricity, stemming from Paige's powers, came from the hands of the three sisters and hurtled towards the Source, ready to destroy her once and for all.

Prue smiled and casually forced Wyatt and Chris in front of her, and they looked at the oncoming blue light in terror.

"NO!" Piper screamed, and she jerked her hands away from where they were, making the blast divert away from Prue and her sons, crashing it through the ceiling. The blast continued, blasting a massive hole through the roof and blazing off into the sky. Paige and Phoebe looked at each other in shock, and Prue smiled gloatingly, as the blast stopped, with the Hollow, having sensed weakness, shooting out of the three sisters...and going to the strongest power it could feel instead...Prue.

"Oh God..." Piper said meekly.

Wyatt then grabbed his brother to him and hid his little brother's face in his shoulder as Prue cackled evilly. She then formed a massive fireball, and, aided by the power of the Hollow, it continued to grow and grow, with the boys cowering before her and the sisters knowing that this was the end, and there was nothing they could do to escape their fate, as even if they orbed the Hollow would take those powers too.

Prue then threw the fireball.

The ball travelled the short distance, growing larger all the time and exploded. The floors above disintegrated as the full power of a Source empowered Charmed One, combined with all the powers she had accumulated and backed up by the Hollow, exploded. The fireball travelled outwards, disintegrating everything in its path, shattering glass, splintering wood. The fireball explosion hit Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Leo and they were sent flying through the air.

"PIPER!" Leo screamed.

"LEO! WYATT! CHRIS!" Piper screeched.

"GOD!" Paige yelled.

"NO!" Phoebe cried.

And then the manor exploded, with fiery debris being thrown into the air and hurtling back down to earth, with the various fallen bodies getting trapped under the rain of destruction that the Source had just unleashed, and the bodies of the Charmed Ones slamming into the ground so that they moved no more.

The Seer, Barbas and Zankou stood together, hoping their combined powers would be enough to contain the Hollow without the Source turning on them too.

"_Iam is addo, his is addo_

_Malum quod bonus_

_Vox inconcessus_

_Super dico nos_!"

The Hollow then left the Source and hurtled back down towards the cavern where it was entombed. It was over.

The Charmed Ones lay dead. Piper's body lay in the wreckage of where the kitchen had once stood, her face covered in bruises and abrasions. Her arms were limp about her and the way she was sprawled made it quite clear she was dead.

Paige lay on the other side of the wreckage, not far from where Henry's body had been blown, and her body was mangled and bleeding as a result of the explosion.

Phoebe's body was in the garden, where bits of burning woods and a couple of burnt twigs that had once been trees stood. Her body was curled up in a way that never would have been possible for it to have been before.

It was done. The Charmed Ones, the Power of Three...were finally dead.

Prue smiled in satisfaction as she looked around at the dead bodies of Leo, Victor, Coop, Henry, Sandra, Odin, Billie, Kevin and the sisters. It was done. Evil had triumphed at last.

There was then a great cheer from behind her and she turned, raising her hands to the sky.

"The Charmed Ones are dead! Evil has triumphed!" she declared, and the cheer got louder and demons began stamping their feet.

And deep within the Source, good Prue, who had been conserving her strength, knew it was time to make her move. Looking out at the devastation, at her dead family, she knew that there shouldn't be any hope. Despair and terror cloyed at her, threatening to destroy her, and give the Source permanent control of her body. There should be no way out of this. But after all...they were the Charmed Ones.

She looked down at her howling nephews, and smiled. Everything was on them now.

The Seer bowed to her, and Prue seized her chance and rested control of her body from the Source, who was so surprised by her continuing existence that it didn't stop her.

"What do we do with the boys?"

Prue smiled in what she hoped was an evil way. She really hoped she wasn't making a big mistake. If so, she would be condemning the poor heartbroken kids to death.

"Leave them here. We have no need of them anymore." Prue said coldly, willing Wyatt and Chris, who were looking around at the devastation of their home in horror, to know she didn't mean it.

But after all, good Prue, Wyatt and Chris formed a power of three...there was hope yet.

"As you wish." The Seer said, bowing, and the demons and warlocks headed back to the underworld.

Prue was left alone in the devastation that the battle had wrought with the two screaming boys and looked down sadly. She really hoped the boys would do what she thought they would do. And if they did so...well the Ultimate Battle might not be over yet.

"Don't let me down boys." She said and stroked their hair as they cried and she turned and began to walk away.

Good Prue then felt the Source regain its composure and take back the body. Prue fought against his basic instinct to turn and kill the children, and she exerted every bit of the remaining power she had to prevent him from doing so.

_Oh very well, it seems too much like hard work_.

Prue sagged in relief. He hadn't figured out her plan. The numerous precautions she had taken the last few weeks had paid off. And now, the act of leaving them to freeze to death in the ruins of their home was appealing to his sense of cruelty. But...there was a small bit of hesitation. Something wasn't right. Sneering at the crying boys, the Source turned away, confident that even if they managed to survive they wouldn't be able to threaten his designs for a good many years, and provided he killed one of them, or turned Wyatt...then good would be forever eclipsed.

Smiling evilly, he walked out from the doorway, which was the only part of the manor still standing, and flicked it shut with Prue's telekinesis, the glassless doors slamming shut with a sense of finality.

And as he did so, his foot caught on the cover of the Book of Shadows. The orange triquetra looked faded as the cover lay before him. And with a gesture of contempt, he stood on it and flamed back down to his kingdom.

**The Ultimate Battle has been lost!**

**The Charmed Ones are dead...but one remains. Good Prue has a plan, and the Source is dismissing her actions as pointless. What does she hope the boys will do?**

**So, is the Ultimate Battle truly fought and is it over? Or is it just half time?**

**Time will tell!**

**Until next time please read and review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed**

Chapter Eleven

The Power of Four

Wyatt looked around at the devastation of his home. Their mother's body was lying in the ruins of the kitchen. Wyatt wondered if he should go to her. Chris was crying and was already taking tentative steps towards their mother's body. Wyatt went up beside him. Chris was his little brother, and it was his job to look after him now. Chris reached their mother's side and started to even harder as he leaned his head on her. Wyatt knelt down with him his arm around his little brother as he too started to cry. Their mom was gone. They couldn't see their father. Their aunts were both dead, so was Billie and grandpa. And aunt Prue had gone now too. They were all alone. It was just them. Just Wyatt to look after his baby, brother who was howling over his mother's body.

Wyatt looked at her, and was sure he saw her move a little. Eagerly taking Chris' hand, hoping against hope that this would work... So, with Chris' power flowing through him, adding to his own considerable power, he lowered his hands over his mother and a warm golden light emerged from them. Chris looked at Wyatt questioningly as the light faded out, and Piper opened her eyes to see her two frightened and pale sons looking at her with tear streaked faces.

"Wyatt, Chris..." she said and gathered her boys to her in the hug that she had been longing to give them for months, ever since Prue had taken them.

She sat there for several minutes, just holding her two beautiful sons to her, the two sons who had just rescued her from the jaws of death. As she did so, her memory began to catch up as she remembered what happened. Breaking off the Hollow...the Hollow going into Prue...the massive fireball.

"Leo?" she croaked, looking around for any sign of her husband.

There was no response, and the only movement was the small fires that were flickering in the darkness.

"Phoebe? Paige?" Piper called urgently, still receiving no reply as she struggled to get to her feet.

The manor had been totally destroyed. All that was left standing was the doorway with the glassless doors shut inside them. Piper looked at the bodies of the people she loved, trying and failing to stop the wave of despair.

"Oh Prue...what have you done?" she asked meekly, tears falling from her faces.

She felt the boys' hands at her legs and she slowly walked, not allowing them to break contact with her so she didn't lose them again. The two boys were crying, knowing what had truly happened here, and somehow understanding that being able to save their mother had just been a fluke and that they had lost everyone else.

"Oh god..." Piper said, looking around at the devastation and urgently trying to figure out what to do.

She had Wyatt and Chris...but Leo, Phoebe, Paige and all the others were dead...the Source had triumphed...mind you, baby Prudence was still alive too...was good Prue in fact behind the act of leaving the boys? Hoping they would save their mother? And if that failed, perhaps she had hoped that the three of them would one day form a power of three to one day challenge her?

But even if she had, what difference did it make? Everyone was dead...and now Piper would have to raise three children on her own without her husband and without her sisters. What the hell was she going to do? Tears of despair ran down her face. She had never felt so lost. When she had lost Prue, when she had lost the other Chris, when Leo had been taken by the Angel of Destiny...never before had she been so clueless as to where she should go from here. She had lost the love of her life, her sisters, her father, her friends...she thanked God that she still had her kids. What did she do now?

Piper looked up into the sky to see that the darkness that Prue had conjured had been lifted. It was sunset. The light was going out of the world, and the darkness of evil was taking over. She heard a car screech to a stop and she turned to see a frantic Sheila running up to the destroyed manor, tears streaking down her face.

"Darryl! Darryl!" she cried urgently, kicking in a cloud of debris as she slammed the door open.

"Oh Sheila...I'm so sorry." Piper said, approaching her friend.

"How did this happen? I thought you three were the strongest witches there were!" Sheila cried, tears running down her face as she held Darryl's body.

"The problem is Prue's one of us too." Piper said in defeat and she took Prudence from the car, who was screaming at the top of her lungs as if sensing that she didn't have parents anymore.

"Can't you fix it?" Sheila asked tearfully as she cradled her husband's body.

"Don't you think I would if I could?" Piper said bitterly, then became distracted by Wyatt picking up the cover of the Book of Shadows.

Seeing the family heirloom in such a pitiful state just made it all the worse and Piper sobbed, while Sheila cried, Prudence howled, Chris sniffled and Wyatt groaned.

"Don't play with that honey." She said to Wyatt, but then frowned as she saw a folded piece of paper fall out of the cover.

"What the?" she asked, and Wyatt handed it to her, and she opened it gingerly.

She read the caption, and frowned, and something fluttered into her heart: hope.

_To all my beautiful daughters, in the time of greatest need...of this spell take good heed:_

_Time and space converge on me now_

_A way to alter reality I seek_

_Help me end the tragedy which has occurred_

_And help me reach out to those I need_

_This spell should not be used lightly. It will create a time nexus, and therefore should only be used with great caution, which is why I have hidden it in the cover of our Book of Shadows. You may wonder why I included this spell if I did not intend for you to use it: I have had a premonition, one of a great battle between good and evil, one that we did not win. I do not know when this vision will come to pass, or even if it will...but I know that I could not leave this world without doing my part for the great battle. _

_May this spell be a final defence against the darkness my daughters, and may it be a light for you when all other lights go out._

_Blessed be,_

_Melinda Warren_

Piper looked at the spell in her hand in shock. Melinda Warren had secured this spell on the inside of the leather cover of the Book of Shadows, ready for the day when it would one day have to be used. She had foreseen hundreds of years into the future to foresee the Ultimate Battle, and wanted to ensure that her line continued to exist after it had been fought. That required tremendous power, and if Melinda had suspected that the Charmed Ones would be alive to fight this battle, then she probably would have thought that they could handle this spell.

But, the Charmed Ones were dead. At the moment, there were only two left, and one of them had the Source of All Evil in charge of their body. But as Chris let out another sniff, Piper looked down at him and smiled. She had him and Prudence, and with her, they could form a rudimentary power of three. And then if they joined with Wyatt's Twice-Blessed powers...it might just be enough to form the power needed to make it work and keep it under control.

"Sheila..." Piper said.

Sheila reluctantly lowered Darryl's body to the ground and looked at her pleadingly.

"Have you found a way to fix it?" she asked urgently, hope creeping into her eyes.

"Maybe. Our ancestor, Melinda Warren, put this spell into the book because she foresaw a battle which her descendants lost. I reckon this would be that battle. The spell should create a time nexus, which, if I'm reading it right, will let us go back and fix what happened." Piper said, and Sheila looked at her desperately.

"Are you sure? But...if Phoebe and Paige...?"

"The kids should give me enough power to do the spell. And let's face it...we don't have much other choice." Piper said and knelt down, holding Prudence in one arm and taking Chris' hand with the other.

"Wyatt honey, take Chris hand ok? And don't let go." She said, and Wyatt nodded and took his brother's hand.

Though she wasn't thrilled about having to use the kid's powers, these were indeed desperate times, and they called for desperate measures. And she was sure Phoebe and Coop wouldn't complain about it if it wound up saving their lives.

"_Time and space converge on me now_

_A way to alter reality I seek_

_Help me end the tragedy which has occurred_

_And reach out to those I need_."

She felt a tingling inside her, and a beam of light shot down from the sky, and a figure began to materialise inside it. Piper's eyes widened as her mother stepped out, looking confused.

"Mom?" Piper demanded, while the kids looked at their grandmother in awe, as did Sheila.

"Who...Piper?" Patty asked uncertainly, and Piper had a feeling in her stomach that the spell wasn't going to work the way she thought it was.

"Yeah...when did you come from?" Piper asked as another beam of light shone down, and Piper had a suspicion forming in her mind, because she definitely hadn't been conjured from heaven like she normally was, as she didn't recognise her daughter or her grandkids.

"February twenty eighty, 1978." She said worriedly, looking at her daughter curiously.

"Uh oh..." Piper mumbled, and Sheila raised an eyebrow as Grams materialised before them in the other beam.

"Mom? How did you get here? What happened? How did _I _get here?" Patty demanded, and Grams looked at her in wide eyed shock.

She then turned to look at the devastation, and then at Piper.

"Piper? What's happened?" she asked weakly, looking at her daughter, and Piper knew something was definitely wrong.

"Grams...please tell me you didn't come from March fifth 1998?" Piper said hopefully, and when she nodded Piper made an odd noise.

"What's wrong?" Sheila whispered urgently.

"I've summoned them from the day they died." Piper hissed, and Sheila went a little pale.

"Piper..." Grams said, but then another column appeared, and out stepped Prue.

Prue was dressed in the exact same way she was when she had died, but Piper didn't care. Handing Prudence to Sheila, who was looking at Prue warily, she raised her hands, ready to blast her sister, the one who had caused all of this, intentionally or not. She was about to blast when a light flashed behind her.

"Mom no!" a voice said from behind her and someone grabbed her wrists and forced them down.

"MOM?" Prue demanded in shock, and the same shock was etched on Patty and Grams' faces.

Piper turned to see the adult version of Chris holding her arms, and a concerned Wyatt and Melinda running over to her.

"Chris, Wyatt, Melinda...what are you all doing here?" she asked uncertainly, hoping that the fact that they looked basically the same as they did the last time she had seen them didn't indicate that they died young.

"You can't blow her up mom. If you do, you might screw up the future...you might not get us." Wyatt explained.

Piper lowered her hands, and Grams, Patty and Prue moved closer to her, looking in shock and horror at the scene they were standing on.

"Piper what happened honey?" Prue demanded urgently.

Piper looked at her strangely. It was strange for her to hear her sister call her honey when for the last several months she had had her kids and had been trying to kill the entire family. And in that moment, Piper knew the truth. Good Prue had left the boys in order to try and save her sisters. And as such, the Source hadn't triumphed just yet. And as a result...Prue could still be saved. Prue had fought tooth and nail to take over the Source long enough to try and engineer an escape for her sisters, and she had succeeded. Taking a deep breath, Piper looked at her three past relatives.

"Prue...you die on the day I summoned you from. Now, six years later, the Triad, who we thought were dead but actually aren't, used Tempus to resurrect you and they made you into the Source." Piper said grimly.

"The Source? As in the Source of All Evil? But how would Prue...?" Grams demanded, but Patty placed a hand on her shoulder to quieten her.

"We defeated the original Source, we're the Charmed Ones after all. And their plan of turning Billie and Christy, you don't need to know specifics, but the plan worked and nearly got us all killed, but we fixed that, so they decided to resurrect Prue. You've been fighting the Source every bit of the way, and you left baby Wyatt and Chris here to heal me so I could try and fix this. So I used a spell inside the book that I've never seen before, and it brought all three of you here, and my three kids here." Piper said, smiling up at her three kids.

Grams, Patty and Prue all looked shocked at the news they had received.

"So are dad, aunt Phoebe and aunt Paige all...?" Melinda asked hesitantly, and Piper nodded grimly.

"Yes." Piper said quietly, and Wyatt wrapped his arms around her as she looked at the devastated manor.

"It's a thing to hear about it, but it's something else to see it." She said meekly.

"Right, so what actually happened here Piper? We need to know. I take it evil Prue attacked?" Patty asked desperately, eager to know how the hell they could help her daughter fix this.

"Yes...we were getting beat and we used the Hollow...but Prue used the boys as a shield so I broke it off, and the Hollow went into her...and she did this." Piper said, and Grams pulled her to her and held her tightly.

Prue looked around at everything she had done. The manor destroyed, her family dead...all because the Triad couldn't stay dead and leave her dead too. No wonder Piper didn't want to keep doing this in her time.

She turned to her sister.

"Look Piper...if you say evil me left the boys here for a reason it must be to help get you out of this. But...I take it the Book of Shadows is gone too?" she asked, and Piper nodded.

"That makes things more difficult but not impossible. We can get round this somehow, fix things, I'm sure we can Piper. Your spell brought us all to you to help for a reason. We will fix this, we have to." Grams said grimly, not wanting to leave her family in this mess.

Wyatt then looked sharply at Chris.

"What about the spell I used to rewind time when I broke that vase of moms?" he asked, his expression guarded.

Chris shook his head, looking on the verge of tears.

"It's not powerful enough to undo all of this..." he said sadly, and Piper was beginning to wonder if she had given herself and Sheila false hope.

"Unless that's why we're here." Patty reasoned, looking excited at the prospect.

Melinda looked at her, the ghost of a smile creeping onto her face.

"Grandma's right. Before only you did it, but if all of us do it, it might give us the power we need to reverse time in this area." She reasoned.

"But I thought it needed the power of three to cast powerful spells like that?" Prue asked.

"Well the three of them have a power of three, you, mom and Grams can form one, and I can form one with baby Chris and Prudence. And it also means that we have two Twice-Blesseds, meaning there's going to be a lot more power than usual anyway." Piper said, looking hopeful.

"I don't get how this spell works though." Patty said.

"We used it originally to rewind time in a small area so basically the vase was an hour behind until time caught up with itself. It was only little, but in the general scheme of things, so would this be. If it works, the house and everything that happened inside it will go back in time while time as it is will stay put, so the Ultimate Battle will have been fought on the outside but not on the inside." Wyatt explained.

"You did all this just to get out of Piper yelling at you for breaking a vase?" Prue asked, and Wyatt shrugged guiltily.

"But if you do that won't time be out of sync?" Sheila asked uncertainly, having heard of magical time travel.

Piper then looked at Chris, as he seemed to know most about time travel, and then it hit her.

"Yes...but if we carry out Phoebe's plan and free Prue from the Source..." she said in wonder.

"Then this version of Prue will join with her, resulting in a time shift and balance everything out. Mom you're a genius." Chris said.

"So if this works, it's do or die?" Sheila asked, not happy that if the plan worked they would be back fighting again.

"Maybe...but this time I think I know how we can do it. But first we need to fix this." Piper said.

"We need crystals, to set around the edge of the house to rewind everything within the borders." Wyatt said.

"And if we give them some extra charge we can vanquish every demon that got into the manor." Piper said.

"Then let's hope this works. What's first?" Grams asked.

And so they got to work, trying hard to avoid their dead family members as they set the crystals around the borders of the house. Wyatt reluctantly had to move Phoebe's body from the garden in order to put her in the range of the spell. They extracted other bodies from the rubble, and Piper eventually found enough crystals to form the cage that would hopefully carry out the plan.

"Right, I've set the crystals. Are you sure this will work? It seems like an awful long shot, rewinding time in such a way." Grams said worriedly.

While she wanted her granddaughters to be alive again, she wasn't sure if this would work, and it was incredibly risky.

"How do we know if you free Prue like you intend to, that time will catch up with itself?" Patty asked in addition.

Wyatt looked at Grams.

"Look Grams, we know it's a long shot. This might not even work! But we have to try, otherwise the entire future is screwed and we won't get any of our cousins...yow!" Wyatt yelped, glaring at his brother, who had just kicked him in the shin.

"And as to time catching up with itself, because of how aunt Prue was resurrected, she should technically have been alive for the last six years, so if the plan aunt Phoebe had works, the aunt Prue here should join up with her." Melinda explained, while Chris looked at Wyatt apologetically, not having meant to kick him quite so hard.

"Grams, I know it's a long shot, but I want my family together, and if this works, so be it." Piper said, and Grams nodded.

"Alright. So, what's the spell?"

Wyatt hastily scribbled the spell on a piece of paper he had in his pocket, and the entire family gathered around to read it.

"Uh, what do I do?" Sheila asked hesitantly.

"Just stay close, maybe keep an arm on one of us in case something goes poof." Prue advised, and Sheila did so, looking nervous.

Piper held baby Chris hand and his brother took his hand. Prue took her other one, with Patty taking hers and Grams taking hers, holding Prudence's hand. Melinda held baby Wyatt's hand, and her brothers were on her other side, with adult Wyatt coming round and holding baby Prudence's hand to complete the circle.

"_Together we join our hands_

_To reach through times great sands_

_In this marked and hallowed place_

_Cast it back through time and space_

_Though the events outside us do not erase_."

They looked up in awe, as while the sky above got steadily darker from it becoming night, the small bit right above their heads was getting lighter. The shattered pieces of wood started reforming into walls, shattered glass leapt off the floor and went back into the windows and glass panes. The Book of Shadows was bound back together and shot into the air as stairs and the upper floors began to come back into being. The grandfather clock repaired itself, as did the other items in the room, including the picture of Prue, Piper and Phoebe, and the picture of Piper, Phoebe and Paige. The spell came to a stop, and suddenly the bodies on the restored floor began to stir.

"Ow." Phoebe said as she heaved herself to her feet.

"Aw, did we die again?" Paige asked irritably as she got to her feet and pulled Elise up.

Rather than answering her sister's questions, Piper threw herself at Leo and locked him in a deep kiss.

"Wow...I take it that means we lost?" he asked as they broke off.

"Where's Zankou, I had him on the ropes!" Cole said, and Elise patted his shoulder, looking as though she knew full well he wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Wyatt, Chris, Melinda, what are you all doing here?" Paige asked in surprise as she broke off from a kiss with Henry.

"Wait...that's the kids from the future?" Henry asked in surprise.

"Hey uncle Henry." Wyatt said with a grin.

"Sheila!" Darryl cried as his amazed wife threw herself into his arms.

"Hi baby, did you miss us? Are you alright? Hang on, mom? Grams?" Phoebe asked as she held Prudence close.

"Prue?" Coop demanded, preparing to blast her.

"No, don't, good Prue from the past. You kill her everything gets changed, yada yada yada..." Piper filled in, and Coop lowered his ring.

"So what happened?" Billie asked as Kevin held her close.

"Oh, aunt Billie's just getting together with uncle Kevin...whoops!" Melinda said, her eyes wide as she realised what she had just said, earning her surprised looks from the Elder and the witch, and an exasperated look from Chris.

"For goodness sake..." he moaned, shaking his head, though Piper could see he was smiling.

"_Uncle_ Kevin?" Kevin demanded, looking at Billie in shock.

"Yes well never mind that now, Piper's going to fill us in." Elise said impatiently.

Piper watched as everyone who had come before the battle as a result of Phoebe's spell came to join them all. It was then that Leo finally realised who else was there and gave a joyous cry and picked up his two sons and hugged them tight.

"Wyatt, Chris!" he cried in ecstasy.

"Wait, we got them back?" Victor cried joyfully, taking Chris from Leo.

"Yes yes yes, if you let me, I'll explain. Well the demons had broken through and were killing everyone. We summoned the Hollow to try and stop Prue, but when she used the kids as a shield, I redirected it and the Hollow left us and went into Prue, and she destroyed the manor. Good Prue then must have taken over and left the two boys behind, figuring they wouldn't want their mommy to die, and they healed me. We found a spell in the Book of Shadows written by Melinda Warren that summoned Mom, Grams, Prue and the kids to us and we reversed time in here to fix everything. And now here we are." Piper finished.

"A spell by Melinda Warren? The Lost Spell..." Grams said, to Patty's nod.

"The Lost Spell?" Paige asked.

"Rumour had it that Melinda wrote a very powerful spell that no one ever saw. That must have been it." Grams theorised.

"So, time has been rewound in the manor only? So we're still dead outside?" Darryl asked, not looking forward to spending the rest of his life in the house.

"Yes, but only until time catches up with itself. Which will be when?" Piper asked Wyatt curiously.

"Well it only took a couple of hours for us, so..." he said with a shrug.

Piper nodded. It was time to end this once and for all. Vanquish the Source, save her sister, then they could all go back to living their lives.

"Right, time to move. I want this over with. This time, we're going to win. As Prue thinks we're all dead, we can use that to our advantage. We need more potions." She said.

"Oh, I'll help you do that dear." Grams said, standing beside her.

"Me too." Chris said.

"Good. We need multiple copies of vanquishing spells written out as well." Piper said.

"I'll do that." Phoebe said.

"I'll help aunt Phoebe." Melinda said.

"I will as well." Patty said.

"Good. Right, if you all do that...Prue, Paige, Wyatt...clean up the little ones. Prue, Paige you can do some sister bonding without trying to kill each other. Billie, Kevin, Leo, Sandra, Odin, Coop, go out and rustle up some more support. Darryl, dad, Henry...go out and get some food I never did a food shop before we all died." Piper ordered.

"Come on lover boy, get to it." Billie said, and Kevin grinned as he orbed them out.

"So I take it I'm not going for the aunt of the year award?" Prue asked sheepishly as she picked up Prudence.

"Ah don't worry about it, we've all been bad aunts at one time." Paige said as she and Prue went upstairs with the kids.

Wyatt had picked up his little self and was cooing at him.

"I'm so cute, yes I am!" he said in a baby voice.

"Oh brother." Melinda said under her breath, earning her a reproving glare from both Wyatts as he followed his aunts up the stairs.

The entire house was a hive of activity. Inspired by Piper's newfound confidence, and possibly due to their recent demises, everyone was determined to do as much as possible to get ready for the coming battle. Leo, Odin, Sandra, Billie and Kevin continued to arrive with reinforcements, other magical creatures who were inspired by the tale of their survival to come to their aid. Other beings continued to flood in, and Cole, Henry and Victor, who had returned from food shopping, all helped coordinate them into battle lines for the coming fight.

"Oh I'm so proud of you, all of you. Look how big the Book of Shadows has gotten." Patty said proudly as she copied down the Shax vanquishing spell for the fifth time.

Melinda grinned as she wrote down the Kurzon vanquishing spell down.

"Ours is bigger." She boasted, and Phoebe smiled at her.

"Well of course it is, you've got more years on us."

"Well you would know, you are getting on in years after all..." Melinda said cheekily, winking at her grandmother, who laughed while Phoebe looked outraged.

"Oh you girls have come so far, I'm so proud of you!" Grams said as she filled another potion.

Piper smiled as she watched Chris mix up a potion with just as much ease as she did. She had clearly taught him well.

"Well, we certainly have enough potions." Piper said as Chris stood back and let the explosion flame, then proceeded to fill potion bottles.

"Mom, relax!" he chided, and she smiled, raising an eyebrow at him as she did so.

"Look who's telling who to relax." She said, and Chris grinned while Grams looked at the both in confusion.

"Long story." Piper said fondly.

Grams sighed.

"So this is it then is it? The big fight?" she asked.

Piper nodded. The battles they had faced before, against the Half-Faced Source, against the Titans, against Zankou, against Billie and Christy...compared to that the fight they had been facing for the last several months was the most terrifying of all. All the battles leading up to this fight...and the one before it that Piper knew full well they had only survived by sheer chance.

"Piper, we'll be fine. She thinks you're all dead, so she isn't expecting you. You thrashed a lot of her main army, and she only has the elite left mostly. We're here to help, you've got more support...you'll be alright." Grams said, and Piper smiled, feeling her confidence take another boost.

She then looked over at Chris, who looked slightly worried.

"What, you don't think I'm a match for the Source?" she asked, and he grinned ruefully at her.

"Of course I do. But just...be careful ok?" he asked hesitantly, and Piper kissed him on the cheek.

"I will honey."

Wyatt slumped in exhaustion up in the bathroom.

"Thank god I'm not a parent." He said breathlessly.

He and Prue had spent the last few minutes trying to capture little him and little Chris, who little Wyatt didn't want to seem to let out of his sight. Prue had finally managed to get her hands on her younger nephew, but just as she was about to get him ready for the bath, Wyatt orbed him back to him.

"No wonder I kidnapped you two." She said in exhaustion, looking at little Wyatt and Chris with a mix between pride and irritation.

"Wyatt, have a word with yourself." Paige said, very amused by the situation and incredibly thankful that she had taken Prudence.

Wyatt took a deep breath then bent down in front of little Wyatt, whose hands were protectively around his little brother, who was looking at adult Wyatt with fascination.

"If you two call the men in white coats and tell them I'm talking to myself I'll deny everything." He said grumpily, and Prue grinned at Paige.

Wyatt then looked at the younger version of himself.

"Hey Wyatt...look, I know you want to protect your brother. I do too, trust me. And soon you'll get a little sister to protect as well. And it's ok to protect them. As much as you can, even if sometimes they don't want you to. And it's ok for them to protect you occasionally too. But you don't need to do it right now ok? You're safe, you're back home. You're back with mommy, daddy, your aunties, auntie Prue is good here, you've got Grams and Grandma and aunt Billie and grandpa as well ok? So you don't have to protect Chris as much now ok?" Wyatt said gently.

Wyatt looked at his little brother, then up at his future self and nodded.

"Not hurt Chris?" he asked hesitantly, still not quite trusting him to take his hands off his brother.

"Wyatt sweetie, it's alright. No more demons to hurt Chris or hurt you." Paige cooed, and Wyatt smiled at her and let go of his brother.

"Pwoo!" Chris cried and Prue smiled and picked her nephew up.

"Hey little guy." She said, proceeding to get him ready for the bath.

"Aunt Paige...we safe?" Wyatt asked.

Paige nodded.

"Yeah sweetie. And now you've got your cousin too, look." Paige said, showing baby Prudence to him, making him smile.

"Aww, she was cute. Shame she's a pain in the rear now...oops." Wyatt said, as Prue and Paige raised a questioning eyebrow.

"See, your cousin." Prue said, showing Chris Prudence, who cooed at the two boys in delight, and making the boys wave.

"Wyatt..." Chris said, looking at his brother, and adult Wyatt resisted the urge to go 'aww' as his brother said his name.

Little Wyatt looked up at him.

"No asshole!" he said brightly, and Prue and Wyatt looked at each other in shock.

"Yeah...one of his first words is a profanity. He picked it up from Zankou. Piper wasn't pleased trust me." Paige said, grinning at her nephew.

A while later, the force was all gathered. Leprechauns, Avatars, fairies, ogres, oracles, unicorns, centaurs, whitelighters, Elders, witches, gypsies, valkyries, gnomes, dwarves, sandmen, satyrs, nymphs and Cupids had all gathered, and this time they were going to be used properly.

"_Sláinte is táinte_!" the leprechauns cried and luck settled over all of them.

"Right, so you know what you all have to do. Avatars, Elders, witches and valkyries will be at the front, fighting. The rest of you will be harassing the demons and using your powers to protect the other fighters, got it?" Cole asked, and they all nodded as one.

"Well they're as ready as they're going to get." Victor said.

"But you lot are mortal! It's too dangerous!" Grams protested, worried about their safety.

"Penny, we've been in this since the beginning. We want to see it through to the end. And besides, Darryl isn't the sort to run from a fight, Henry won't let Paige go without him, Elise wants to see this through and I might be able to help with evil Prue. So we're going. And anyway, we have luck on our side." He said firmly, making Patty smile and wink at him mischievously.

"Must you go? You died last time!" Sheila protested to her husband in particular, but all of them that she was concerned about.

"This time she isn't expecting us, we've already taken out a load of her demons, and we need to go before time catches up with itself." Darryl said, and she nodded, and went to stand with the kids, as she would be protecting them with the elf nanny.

"We'll get you your man back don't worry Sheila." Phoebe promised.

"Provided your plan to save me works." Prue pointed out, and Phoebe nodded.

"I reckon it should. Mom always said the greatest of all powers was love." She said, and Patty smiled.

"It didn't do me much good." Cole pointed out.

Phoebe looked at him pityingly.

"You were different. You started evil and went good, which is a lot harder. Prue started good and was turned evil against her will, and I didn't have emotion projection with you. It will work. It has to work." Phoebe said fiercely, and Piper looked at her, slightly concerned because if it didn't work who knew what could happen.

Piper looked everyone and had to admit she was very nervous. Her plan did bank on a lot...like Prue not killing her straightaway as soon as she appeared.

"It'll be fine mom. Now, go and show her who's the strongest witch of all." Wyatt said proudly, and she smiled, kissed Leo goodbye, kissed her little sons on her forehead and kissed the adult ones and Melinda on the cheek, before Paige nodded and orbed her into the underworld.

Piper orbed into the underworld outside the throne room, and saw it filled with upper level demons, who were all looking at Prue on her throne, cheering wildly. Most of them looked delighted that she and her sisters were apparently dead.

"The Charmed Ones are dead! All hail the Source!" Zankou yelled to more cheers.

Piper scoffed. _Yeah right, as if you're not already plotting to take over yourself_, Piper thought bitterly, then took a deep breath. Then, holding her head high she entered the room. Amazed demons, warlocks and Darklighters all stood back, looking at her in awe as they all milled back as she glared haughtily around them. Up on the throne, Prue's face lit up in triumph, and then her expression changed to one of fury. They cleared a path leading right up to Prue. Demons such as Shax, Kurzon and Litvack all glowered at her as she strode calmly and purposefully up towards the Source. Although she appeared calm on the outside, on the inside she was terrified. One wrong move and anyone one of them would kill her. But, despite this she kept her gaze focused on Prue the whole time and came to a stop at the stair leading to the throne.

"Well well...Piper. It appears as if the Charmed Ones are not dead quite yet." Prue purred, coming down to stand in front of her sister, who glared at her.

"Yeah you're right, we're not dead yet. And you can thank the good part of you, my sister, for that. See, she cleverly figured my kids wouldn't want their mommy to die. She was right, the boys healed me, so I can come down here and whop the Source's sorry ass back to the wasteland where it belongs." Piper said confidently, her confidence growing as her sister's and their army's entrance got closer.

Prue laughed evilly, and Piper could tell she was dealing with pure Source here, especially when her other demons joined in and laughed with her.

"Really Piper? You think you are a match for the Source of All Evil?" she hissed.

Piper appraised her sister, then smiled tightly.

"Yeah I do." She said firmly, and Prue and her demons laughed again.

"Give it up Piper! My good part and your kids may have extended your life a little longer, but it was a wasted exercise because you came down here to meet your fate. And don't worry...I'll deal with your brats soon enough." The Source purred contemptuously, and Piper sincerely hoped that her good half was saving energy for when she really needed it.

"No you won't. I'm going to vanquish you, put my sister back where she belongs and make sure none of your little friends here ever threaten my family again." Piper growled, knowing that the one on one fight between her and the Source was about to occur.

Prue's eyes narrowed.

"You and what army?"

At that moment, there was a shimmer of orbs and Piper grinned. Their timing couldn't have been any more perfect if they had tried. Phoebe and Paige orbed in and glared up at Prue, who took a step back.

"What? The Charmed Ones, still alive! No!" Prue hissed.

Zankou bent down to the Seer.

"You said they were dead!" he accused.

"The children...I didn't bother reading them in my joy that their mother and her sister's were dead...I didn't bother to read the children, I thought we'd won!" she protested, and then had a very worrying glimpse of the future as she gazed.

"What, what is it?" Barbas demanded.

"Trouble. A lot of it." The Seer breathed quietly.

Prue glared at her sisters.

"I should have known that even the Hollow would not kill you, you're far too stubborn." She growled.

"Guess you should have. It's over Prue. Give it up...and we might go lenient on you." Phoebe said, and the demons laughed again, because even the infamous Charmed Ones couldn't kill all of these demons, and now they had the chance they had been wanting since all this began: the Charmed Ones trapped and with no way out.

"You seem to think that I don't hold all the cards." Prue scoffed, though to tell the truth she wasn't at all happy about the expression on the Seer and the Crone's face.

"You're right about that actually. You don't." Paige said.

And with that the army orbed in, complete with Sandra, Odin, Billie, Kevin, Leo, Coop, Henry, Cole, Victor, Elise, Darryl, Wyatt, Chris, Melinda, Grams, Patty and past Prue.

"Mom? Grams? Dad?" Prue asked in surprise, and Piper knew her sister was in charge for the moment.

"Hang in there darling, we're getting you out of here." Patty promised, but then the Source rested back control, her eyes going black.

"No you're not. I've had enough of all this. Kill them. Kill them all. Make them suffer!" Prue yelled, and the demons, warlocks and Darklighters began their attack, and the Ultimate Battle resumed where it had left off.

Piper then threw off her leather jacket and casually blasted Prue. The Source stumbled backwards, looking at her in shock, and then she growled and magically came back to her feet, and Piper lowered her eyes, readying her hands. Prue then lit a fireball, snarled, and fired it, at the same time twirling at her with her legs in the air. Piper deviated the blast and avoided her spinning legs and the fight between the most powerful of the Charmed Ones and the Source of All Evil was on.

The battle was joined as both armies gave a war cry and fireballs and energy blasts began to fly through the air. Wyatt and Chris stayed close to their father, Chris and Leo's electrokinesis blasting apart lower level demons while Wyatt disintegrated them.

"Now we finally get to see why this is your favourite memory." Wyatt said.

"Huh?" Leo asked, and Chris nodded over to the massive duel that was going on between Piper and Prue.

Prue was flicking all sorts of things at Piper, but she was equal to the challenge, blasting the projectiles from the sky. She deftly avoided them and hit Prue with a rapid succession of three blasts, before Prue gave an animal like snarl and threw Piper across the room. Piper slammed to the wall and rolled away from the oncoming fireball and coming up to smack her sister in the stomach and pull her legs out from under her.

"Wow!" Leo said, impressed as his wife smacked her sister in the mouth.

"Go mom." Chris said in delight as she blasted Prue backwards off her feet.

Meanwhile, the various other fighters were battling Prue's forces with reckless abandon. Demons, ghosts, Elders, Avatars and all other sorts of beings were vanquishing each other, and because of their tiredness form the previous battle, the demons were beginning to lose ground.

The Necromancer was directing various ghosts against the Charmed Ones army, and was confident that this little fight would not last long. As soon as they lost their figurehead, the Charmed Ones army would collapse, and if the Source's information had been correct, three of their stronger fighters would disappear anyway.

He then turned and grinned widely. Penny Halliwell was flicking several demons through the air into the paths of low flying energy balls. He still loved her, despite her vanquishing of him...and if he could turn her against her family, so much the better.

"Hello Penny." He said, striding over to her.

"Armand?" she demanded in shock.

"Come my dear let us..." he said, then frowned because he didn't seem to be able to read her.

"Ha, bet you thought I was a spirit didn't you." She gloated, and she threw a potion right into him, and he gasped in surprise as the flames consumed his body and he was vanquished.

Billie threw a vanquishing potion at a spirit and grinned as it went up in smoke. A warlock then blinked in, who she threw to the floor.

"Billie, look out!" Kevin cried as the falling warlock threw an athame at her.

She dodged it with her telekinesis enhanced agility and he grinned.

"The Charmed Ones will lose this battle, and you will all die! Then, after we depose the Source...the warlocks will take over the underworld." He promised darkly.

"Not a chance Devlin." Phoebe said as she went past, battling some demons with her emotion projection powers.

Devlin paled as Kevin blasted him and Billie got the appropriate vanquishing spell from her pocket.

"_Evil is a faithful foe _

_But Good does battle best_

_With these words we witches will_

_Waste this warlocks evil zest_!"

As the warlock exploded, Kevin turned to his girlfriend and grinned cockily at her.

"We make a pretty good team don't we?" he asked.

"That we do." She said, kissing him on the cheek, and then throwing him out of the way in alarm as Dumain fired an energy ball at him.

"You son of bitch!" she said, and flicked the ball back into its owner, who looked at her in shock a she too was consumed by flames.

"Good shot. But no more lovey-dovey stuff until we're out of this mess." He said in a depressed tone, and she nodded sadly.

Zankou, Barbas and Shax were decimating the good forces, vanquishing anyone who was getting in the way, and none of the more powerful witches or Elders dared go near them. Prue was still locked in battle with her sister, and now she seemed to be gaining the upper hand with Piper being forced to back peddle.

Meanwhile, Wyatt was a one man army, disintegrating entire ranks of demons and focusing on different points at one time so the good forces could push further and break the spine of the demonic resistance.

"WYATT!" Chris screamed, and his brother turned to see the Tall Man, a demon who was said to be unvanquishable, materialise before him.

"Don't let him touch you!" Paige cried, as the demon came at him.

Wyatt looked at him confidently and let loose a wave of energy, that his body just absorbed in a funny glow.

"Hahaha...you cannot hurt me little boy." He gloated and started advancing on him.

"Oh yeah? Watch me." Wyatt said cockily.

The Tall Man looked at him in shock and Wyatt called on the depths of his power.

"_Man of worlds stop your feed_

_Here you shall find no prey to eat_

_Be cast from all worlds as say I_

_Oh evil giant, be gone and die_!"

The Tall Man lurched, and then became aware that he was being vanquished.

"How? Impossible!"

Wyatt looked at him gloatingly.

"Twice-Blessed, sucker." He said arrogantly as the Tall Man exploded.

"Arrogant son of a..." Melinda said, and yelped as Andras, the Spirit of Rage came at her.

"Ready to turn on your brother girl?" he sneered, and she cocked an eyebrow.

"No, not really." She said simply and blasted him three times in the chest.

Andras staggered back and on the third blast exploded.

"That's the end of him then." She said in satisfaction.

Prue and Piper were still going at it, with blasts flying back and forth between them as the two avatars of good and evil fought to the death. Piper blasted Prue in the stomach and as she flipped over she sent Piper hurtling to the floor.

"What will it be Piper? Keep going until judgement day?" Prue sneered, rolling to her feet to avoid another blast.

"If that's what it takes." Piper snarled as she jumped away from a low flying fireball.

Paige, Phoebe and past Prue had come together and were cutting a bloody swath through the demonic forces, and Paige had to admit, she was preferring this battle a lot more than the last one. The demons were being forced back, and with Wyatt blowing holes in their lines and the good forces were steadily beginning to push the demons back, with even Victor and Elise managing to vanquish several. Henry went pale as a man with half a face that was human, and half a face that looked like it belonged to a snake, conjured an energy ball and bore down on Paige.

"Paige!" he yelled, and threw his final potion, begging it wouldn't miss.

The potion hit and Sirk gave a scream, and as he turned around to see who had thrown the potion, his demonic face disappeared, and Henry calmly shot him, making the evil man drop to the ground.

"Paige, I got one!" he cried proudly, and she turned to see Sirk dead at her husband's feet.

"Oh he's going to be hell to live with." She muttered as she waved at him proudly, then turned back to assist her sisters.

Past Prue flicked another demon flying as Phoebe hated another one into oblivion and Paige orbed one into the way of a Darklighter arrow. There was then a gust of wind, and Phoebe pushed Paige and Prue behind her as Shax whirled to a stop and raised his hand, ready to kill his prey.

"Oh no, Shax!" Paige cried in surprise.

"The one who kills me? Oh, he has to go." Prue said.

Shax then looked back to check he was about to kill the right one, and that crucial half second was what was needed as Paige shot a jet of lightning at him and forced him to take a step back.

"_Evil wind that blows_

_That which forms below_

_No longer may you dwell_

_Death take you with this spell_!"

Shax gave the three of them a look of disbelief as his body bulged and then exploded, and the three grinned in victory.

"Oh vanquishing him never gets old." Phoebe said happily.

"That'll teach you to kill me you git." Prue said smugly.

"You do pretty good for a dead lady." Paige said with a smile, and Prue grinned and winked at her.

"And you're not so bad yourself little sister." She complimented.

"Oh sister bonding, isn't that cute!" Phoebe exclaimed.

Belthazor was decimating the ranks of the Brotherhood, and no one seemed to be able to stop him. Raynor grimaced. Belthazor had once been such a fine demon. Now he had turned totally, and was vanquishing his own with little hesitation, if any at all. That had to end.

He conjured an energy ball and hurtled it at Belthazor with all his might, but his former protégé was too quick for him. He shimmered and Raynor looked around, ignoring the massive battle raging around them as he searched for his quarry.

"Come now Belthazor. We both know why you turned...the witch. But she no longer loves you. Why do this to your fellow demon? Come home and let us stop the Charmed Ones once and for all!"

Belthazor then shimmered into existence and slammed into Raynor, forcing him into the wall.

"You can no longer get your witch! Why do this?" Raynor gasped in shock, knowing what was coming.

"Because I refuse to play your game anymore Raynor." He growled and fired an energy ball into his mentor's head, making Raynor explode without preamble.

Coop blasted another demon back, and then saw the ugly demon Abraxas close in on several other Cupids. Grinning, Coop raised his ring and a pink beam of energy blasted into Abraxas, immobilising him.

"NO!" he spat, but Coop upped the charge and the beam of pure, undiluted love totally overpower the hate filled demon and he was no more.

Patty and Victor were doing an excellent double team, and Victor stabbed another warlock just as Patty turned around, in time to see a shadow floating right in front of her. Gasping she froze the shadow, and Victor looked at her curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Give me your athame." She said, knowing she was right.

And then she lunged forward into what appeared to be mid air. However, the athame hung there, and Victor looked at her.

"Demon?" he asked, to her nod.

She unfroze the scene, and Troxa materialised before them, clutching at the dagger in his body and giving a final scream before he too was vanquished.

"Thanks." He said, impressed by his ex-wife's intuition.

"Thank you." She said happily.

The battle continued to rage, but it was clear now that the demons were on the losing side. Rallying behind Wyatt, Billie, Sandra and the three sisters who weren't locked in a one on one duel with the Source of All Evil, the good forces were pushing further into the room and scattering the demons left, right and centre. Grams, Prue and Chris were flinging them all around the room, while Phoebe used her emotion projection to blast more apart, Paige orbed fireballs back into their owners and Melinda blasted demons apart. Patty was freezing every demon she could find, and then Victor was taking great joy in sticking his athame into them. Elise, Darryl and Henry were all throwing potions, blasting apart yet more demons. The battle was reaching its final stages, but the duel itself was still raging.

Both Prue and Piper were exhausted, but neither was going to give the other the other hand. Both were charred, burnt and bruised, but the Source was finding it exceptionally difficult to overcome the good part of Prue that was quietly sabotaging his efforts to kill her sister. And that allowed Piper to blast the Source all the more.

"Prue! Keep it up and we will save you!" Piper yelled as she blasted the Source again, who's high resistance and immunity was beginning to waver.

"Oh do shut up." Prue hissed and flicked her backwards.

Piper grimaced and blasted at Prue again, knowing that she couldn't keep this up much longer. But if she could just keep it up long enough for her sisters to cut through the remaining demons, led by Zankou, then they could try the plan.

Zankou was blasting everything within reach, and while good had taken severe casualties the strongest were still going. Litvack snickered as Chris came towards him.

"Your powers can't hurt me witch." He said, and fired a beam from his weapon.

Chris smiled and flicked it away from him, making it come around in a half circle, disintegrating whatever demon got in its way, and then the beam reached Litvack, who realised too late what Chris had done. He gave a scream as his own beam lanced into him and he was no more.

Paige smiled as she threw a potion at the Crone, blasting her apart, and finally saw an opening to get to Piper and help in the battle. However, just as she was about to go further Zankou got in the way.

"Hello there." He sneered and fired an energy ball, making her dive for cover.

Kane was filling the air with arrows, determined to kill any one of the Elders who were attacking, but they all had their shields up and were warding off the attacks. As a result, Kane, who was rapidly running out of room to retreat to but due to the enchantments the attacks had put up couldn't orb out, was looking to kill anyone to even the score, and fired at Wyatt.

"Wyatt!" Melinda cried, freezing the arrow.

Leo snarled as Kane fired an arrow at his daughter and at Chris, who flicked both away from them and into other Darklighters. Leo tackled Kane, knocking the crossbow from his hand and slamming him to the ground.

"Not my kids you bastard. You aren't going to mess us around anymore." He vowed, and sent jagged electricity wracking through Kane's body, making the leader of all Darklighters scream as he did so, and he was eventually consumed by flames.

"Paige, get us a lock of Imara's hair!" Phoebe called, and Paige did so, making the ugly sorceress look at them in fear, as the two sisters were joined by Melinda.

"_Lock of hair completes our goal,_

_To completely destroy her evil soul_

_Banish this evil, spare no pain_

_And cast her to a ghostly plane_!"

Imara gave a cry as she was vanquished, and as she was, Zankou looked up in alarm and seemed to see how very few his elite demons were getting. Many of the lower number had been decimated, and others had fled before the enchantments had gone up. Now, whiloe they still had the slight numerical advantage, morale was wavering, without many of the upper level demons of before things were beginning to look bad. At least until the Source's elite bodyguards rushed into the battle and divided the combined forces' attack, and Zankou smiled. They could win this yet.

"And how about you? I could take away that condition that seeks to end your life." Cryto purred, the Demon of Vanity getting closer to her.

Grams scoffed. She didn't know for sure that she died on the day she was summoned from but she had a suspicion that she wasn't going to last much longer anyway. And, if from what Phoebe had told her earlier about some of the demons earlier was true, he had killed her friend Gail.

"Look demon, I may be on my way out and even if I wanted to give myself a bit longer, I definitely wouldn't give you the satisfaction." She said and threw him from his feet with a flick of telekinesis.

"Foolish witch!" he snarled as he slammed to the ground and threw an energy ball at her, which she deflected into an oncoming demon.

"_What witches done and then undone_

_Return his spirit back within_

_And separate him from his skin_!"

Grams nodded in satisfaction and looked up at the duel between Piper and Prue. The two of them were too evenly matched, and they had to find a way to help...

Chris ducked an energy ball and kicked the originator in the chin, before delivering a roundhouse kick to his temple and sending it to the floor. Wyatt then disintegrated it and he grinned cockily at his little brother.

"Look at our little sister." He said, nodding at her.

Melinda was standing looking at four desperate looking demons, who charged at her, screaming holy murder and brandishing claws of steel.

"Celerity demons..." Chris said worriedly, but Wyatt held him back, confident in his little sister.

"One for the money," she said, blowing one apart and allowing its blade to plunge through Saleel's back, "two for the show," she said, blowing apart another one and skewering a warlock with the blades as they came off, "three to get ready," she said, blowing apart another one, "and away we go!" she concluded, blowing up the last of them and turning to smile cockily at her brothers, pleased with herself.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Chris said, and she grinned, but her look of pride turned to one of horror, and she pointed behind the boys.

They turned, and Wyatt forced Chris behind him, but this was made difficult by the fact that Chris' grip had suddenly become vicelike on his arm. Masselin had appeared, his long bony hands stretching out to reach them.

"Wyatt..." Chris said, as they backed up.

"Very well...if I cannot have the young ones, I will take older ones." He hissed, but just as Chris and Wyatt raised their hands to fend him off there was a blast and he exploded, sending green entrails all over the place.

"Leave my brothers alone." Melinda grumbled.

"Thanks sis." Chris said.

"And if you tell anyone I sort of froze up..." Wyatt threatened, and she grinned.

"Scaredy cat." She teased and he glowered at her.

A potion hurtled through the air and surrounded the three in a dense fog.

"It's the Alchemist!" Leo cried through the smoke to his three children.

Chris growled as the other two coughed.

"_Stirrer of pots and mixer of unctions_

_Your death I seek at this crucial junction_

_I call upon the power of light_

_To cast you and your mixtures into endless night_!"

The fog dispersed as Wyatt conjured some wind to blow it away just in time to see boils raise on the Alchemist's body, explode and take him with it as flame shot out from each of them.

"Good work bro." Melinda said.

And then she and Chris were abruptly orbed away from Wyatt as he turned to face Vinceres, the demon who had been cursed with empathy and had been vanquished by Prue originally.

"Poor little boy. That wasn't very bright, orbing away your little siblings. Not that it will do you much good. The power of three couldn't stop me last time and it won't stop me this time." He said and jumped at Wyatt his hand grasping for his throat.

Wyatt orbed out of the way, but Vinceres grabbed his leg and slammed him to the ground.

"Wyatt!" Chris yelled urgently, and Vinceres smiled as his hand glowed red, reaching for Wyatt's throat.

"Say goodbye to them boy." He hissed.

"Say goodbye yourself, jerk." Wyatt said and kicked Vinceres in the groin, and rolled out of his suddenly loosened grasp.

"Stupid witchlighter." He snarled.

"_Burning demon feel my wrath_

_Of which has had no hath_

_The pain you do create_

_Will your body now desecrate_!"

Vinceres looked down at his body in dismay, and Wyatt waved at him cockily. Vinceres then glowed bright red and blasted apart.

"Now that was a vanquish." Wyatt said proudly.

"You know, we may complain about him...but there are definitely benefits to have a Twice-Blessed Child around." Melinda said as she and Chris reached their brother, who smiled.

The Source's bodyguard continued to flood the chamber, but the good forces were keeping them from reaching their mistress, but the problem was that they were now facing a battle on two fronts, as the remaining lower level demons from the manor that had fled when the battle had resumed had now rejoined the Source's elite bodyguard and were pushing at them from the right while Zankou and the remaining demons were pushing from the left, despite their ranks being considerably thinned. Potions and fireballs collided with energy balls and orbs as the battle raged, but no battle was as fierce as the duel between Prue and Piper.

The two of them were still going at it, fireballs, telekinesis and blasting going on, and both were looking worse for wear, both of them covered in bruises and burns, both of them smoking slightly, but neither able to conquer the other.

Phoebe, Paige and past Prue looked at the duel and were about to fight their way through when Kurzon knocked them all of their feet with a blast.

"The Charmed Ones will all die here, as will the Source and then the throne...the throne will belong to me!" he vowed.

"Oh give me a break." Prue said and flicked him off his feet while her sisters joined around her.

Kurzon roared in fury and threw several energy balls at them, but Paige simply orbed them into some of the demonic bodyguards who were making good's lot difficult, including one that was about to skewer Darryl.

"_Hell threw you from its inner core_

_But earth won't hold you anymore_

_Since heaven cannot be your place_

_Your flesh and blood we now erase_!"

Kurzon gave a cry, and the way to the duel was clear. The three sister's ran forward, and Paige barely ducked in time to avoid a large wing as it came around to hit them. Phoebe and Prue weren't so lucky and were thrown to the floor.

"Ow! What the...Phoebe is that Javna?" Prue demanded as she and her sister got to their feet.

"Phoebe?" Paige called as the old, scaly form of Javna, now complete with curled horns and massive wings, advanced on them menacingly.

"Go help Piper!" Prue ordered.

"Where did he get the wings?" Phoebe asked hysterically.

"Maybe he didn't reveal his full human form to us last time, he might have underestimated us and thought he could take us without any effort. Oh..." Prue said, flicking items at him.

"Not this time witch!" he growled, and beams of energy lanced at them, but were frozen in midair.

"Mom!" Phoebe exclaimed, as she and a battle weary Victor ran up to them.

"Ugly ain't he?" victor commented idly, wiping some sweat from his brow.

"Right, come on, if we get him out of the way we can get through to Prue." Phoebe said, as she saw Wyatt, Chris and Melinda head towards the duel, and Grams vanquish another bodyguard and run to aid in the duel.

Joining with Patty, the three faced Javna just as he unfroze. Prue deflected the beams from his eyes back into him, making the demon stagger and seeing what was about to happen he flapped his wings, determined to flee.

"_Evil eyes look unto thee_

_May they soon extinguished be_

_Bend thy will to the power of three_

_Eye of earth evil and accursed_!"

The beam shot out from Patty's hand and this time the glowing beam shot through him in one go and turned his body into a decrepit skeleton that shattered into dust.

"We did it. Victor, go to the Elders, Billie will look after you. This is a job for the witches in the family, trust me." Patty said, and kissed his cheek.

"But Patty..." Victor protested.

Prue smiled at him.

"Don't worry daddy. We'll save me, and I know you want to as well. But it's bad enough that you and the other mortals are down here fighting powerful demons. Leave the strongest one to us ok?" she said and hugged him, as did Phoebe and they made a beeline for the duel, while Victor went to reluctantly help Billie and Kevin who were fending off attacks from the Seer.

Piper blasted her sister in the stomach and she twirled across the room and slammed into the throne, and glared at her as she got back to her feet.

"You're better than I expected Piper. But not good enough!" she declared and flicked her along the ground, but Piper blasted at her, making her sister stagger.

Piper then jumped to her feet, determined to end this.

"It's over Prue." She said firmly, but Prue simply laughed, and fired a wreath of flame at her.

Piper raised her hands, but then the wreath was deflected by a blast of lightning and Piper turned to see Paige arrive.

"Where the heck have you been?" she demanded as Paige stood beside her, and Prue smiled smugly.

"While you two have been up here knocking the stuffing out of each other, we've been fighting all the sodding demons that were in the way!" she snapped, and just as Prue was about to launch a fireball, Wyatt, Chris and Melinda came up behind her.

"So is this your plan Piper? Distract me from you three so you can vanquish me? I don't think so." Prue sneered.

Grams then joined them, and past Prue, Phoebe and Patty arrived, trapping Prue against the wall in a circle.

"Give it up Source." Grams said, speaking to the one directly in control of her granddaughter.

"Never. Now you will all...DIE!" she screamed and blasted them all of their feet with a sonic wave.

They all slammed to the ground and Prue jettisoned a wreath of fire at Piper. Grams got to her feet first and started flicking debris at Prue. The Source raised a shield to deflect it, and the battle was on. Paige orbed the fire back at the Source, who casually flicked it towards Wyatt, who orbed it back towards their opponent. Piper then blasted her in the stomach and both attacks smashed into Prue as her eyes bulged in surprise.

"Overload her...if we all come at her from different angles..." Patty said in realisation.

"I can get in." Phoebe said, calling on the love for Prue that she had always felt, the intense love between sisters.

Prue screamed in rage and sent dozens of fireballs around at them all. Piper and Melinda then started blasting, trusting their siblings to deflect the shots from them. Past Prue, Grams, and Chris then started flicking the Source's own fireballs back at her, and she hastily erected a shield to absorb the blasts. Wyatt then fired disintegration waves, while Patty froze attacks and allowed Paige to orb them at the Source. The Source was looking slightly worried as the last of her fireballs disappeared, as Piper and Melinda continued to blast at her, while Paige and Chris joined in with their electrokinesis and Wyatt continued with his waves, and at the same time Patty would freeze portions of their attacks and allow Grams to attack them from different sides. The Source's shield was wavering as she tried to fend off the multiple attacks, and then Phoebe allowed the intense feeling of love she had been building up to escape, and it travelled in a beam and plunged through the shield of the beleaguered Source.

"Got her!" she cried triumphantly.

The Source gasped and her shield collapsed, prompting the attacks to stop as the intense feeling of love spread through her.

"Oh dear..." the Seer said darkly, as she avoided a potion thrown by Henry.

"Prue, we still love you! You're our big sister!" Piper cried.

"Come home Prue, fight the Source!" Phoebe pleaded.

"You can do it, you're super witch! If anyone can fight the Source Prue, you can!" Paige encouraged.

"Come on Prue, use our love to light your way home!" Patty insisted.

"Free yourself, use the Source's hatred of love to your advantage!" Grams yelled.

"Aunt Prue, you can do it!" Wyatt called.

"Come on aunt Prue, fight him!" Chris shouted.

"Defeat the Source, we know you can do it, we all love you." Melinda said earnestly.

Leo looked on at the battle of wills that was now going on up on the throne, and looked at them all worriedly.

"Are they getting through to her?" Victor asked as Leo fried a few warlocks.

"I don't know...I hope so."

And inside the Source, a fierce battle was raging. But now, Prue was becoming the dominant power.

"My plan worked, and now my family will vanquish your sorry ass." Prue declared inside herself.

The Source glared at her.

"_I underestimated you, your strength of will, your strength of love...but even their love will not save you! I will surpass it!_"

Phoebe worried that the Source was locked in stalemate with her sister, grabbed Piper's hand. Piper looked at her in surprise, but Phoebe smiled as all of Piper's love was channelled through her, and getting the idea, Paige joined in too, as did the others, and the Halliwell witches joined hands and love together, and the beam of light pink energy darkened and darkened as more and more love passed through it and headed into the Source.

Prue felt the sheer power of the entire family's love pouring into her body, and the Source's dark tendrils were loosening from where they were attached.

"_No, this cannot be!_" he protested.

"I told you that you wouldn't get them. Now, it's over. So get the hell...out...of...my...BODY!" she yelled, and with a blast she blew the Source into freefall of her soul and spirit, making her body wholly, if only temporarily, her own.

"Piper!" she screamed urgently, and Phoebe dropped the power of love, and the three younger Charmed Ones joined their hands, smiling confidently as they did so. Now to see if the plan worked...

"_Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda,_

_Astrid, Helena, Laura and Grace_

_Halliwell witches stand strong beside us,_

_Vanquish this evil from time and space_!"

Something deep inside Prue gave a terrified scream and a black shadow erupted from Prue's back as she dropped to the floor on all fours. As the black smoke swirled, past Prue streaked into her and there was a flash as time rightened itself.

"Welcome back Prue." Piper said happily as her sister stood up, as everyone else smiled.

"You did it, I'm me again!" she cried happily.

"Oh no..." Zankou moaned worriedly.

Prue was about to say something when the dark cloud that had left her body formed into three demons, who looked down at their own transparent bodies with shock and awe.

"The Triad!" Billie snarled from behind them.

Piper rolled her eyes. After so long on focusing on Prue and the Source, she had nearly forgotten that the three demons had been the ones who had really caused all this. She raised her hands, and Phoebe, Paige and Prue made noises of panic and forced them down as one.

A blue light then shone down on all four of them, and Grams smiled at Patty and the kids.

"The power of four..." she said in reverence.

"Wait! They were in me when I was made into the Source!" Prue protested.

Piper looked at her elder sister curiously.

"Meaning that because the Source is no longer in Prue..." Phoebe explained.

"They are now the Source...meaning they can be properly vanquished!" Paige finished brightly.

The Triad looked at the four sisters, united at last, and knew that not only had their plan failed...but things were about to become very bad for a very long time for the demonic world.

"Oh no...I told you this plan would not work Asmodeus!" Baliel cried, firing a het of lightning which Prue deflected.

"Oh shut up and run!" Candor commanded as Asmodeus opened his mouth to respond.

Piper then froze them, as did Patty and Melinda, and the three Triad demons began adjusting, but not nearly quickly enough.

"Well ladies, shall we?" Prue asked, holding out a hand.

"We shall." Piper said and took it, as Phoebe took her other one and Paige took hers.

"_Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda,_

_Astrid, Helena, Laura and Grace_

_Halliwell witches strand strong beside us_

_Vanquish this evil from time and space_!"

The power of four, adding their power to the strongest spell they had, watched as the Triad unfroze and stopped short, clutching at their chests.

"NO!" Asmodeus roared.

"NOT AGAIN!" Baliel cried.

"AHHH!" Candor screamed, and with that the entire Triad, anointed with Prue's Source powers, blew apart.

Zankou looked up in alarm. The Triad was gone, and Prue had been returned to normal. The demonic hordes were now totally leaderless, and the bodyguard were running low, as were his own forces.

"Time to go I think." Barbas said suggestively, but just as he was about to, Grams got in his way.

"Going somewhere Barbas?" she asked, and blasted him across the room.

Galvanised by Prue's redemption and the destruction of the Triad, the good forces were coming together and smiting down demon after demon. Although too much time had passed for the demons to be bound to the Source's magic, that didn't matter as the loss of the Source had taken much of the remaining demons fight anyway. The power of four, the kids power of three and Grams and Patty's power of two, combined with the powers of everyone else who had come to fight were blasting apart demons left right and centre as they began to make their way to a safe distance in order to escape.

"Hey, Seer!" Phoebe called, and the Seer turned just in time to see a bolt of pure hatred blast through her, destroying her.

The remaining demons were scattering, cries of terror were becoming more and more demonic as Prue threw them over the room, Piper blew them apart, Phoebe used her emotions to either vanquish or immobilise them and Paige used her electrokinesis to fry them. The power of four was slaughtering their way through the demons, while Wyatt was using some mysterious power, combined with his brother and sister, to force all the demons into a large mass and the good forces were laying into them, the air filled with the screams of a thousand vanquishes.

Zankou snarled as the power of four saw him, and he shot acid at the four of them, which Prue deflected into him. He flamed out of the way, and fired an energy ball at the four of them.

"Energy balls!" Paige cried and orbed the four of them into him, and he staggered.

"Foolish...foolish indeed!" he snarled and conjured a massive energy ball that couldn't miss them, hurtling forward to destroy them all.

Prue tried to flick it, Piper tried to freeze it, Phoebe tried to reflect it, and Paige tried to orb it, all to no avail.

"Mom!" Wyatt yelled desperately, orbing a piece of paper to her.

"What the?" she asked, looking at it in surprise.

"Don't question, just chant!" Prue ordered.

"_The power of four will stop what we abhor_

_The power of four will stop what we abhor_

_The power of four will stop what we abhor_

_The power of four will stop what we abhor_!"

The energy ball suddenly stopped in midair, and Zankou looked at in amazement. The energy ball then suddenly started hurtling towards him.

"No, impossible!" he protested as his own energy ball hit him.

Pain wracked his body as jagged electricity ripped through him, his skin went dark red, then fire burst out of his nose, ears and mouth and he was gone.

"It worked!" Paige cried in surprise.

"We vanquished Zankou so easily..." Phoebe said.

"What? What the heck? Why the hell couldn't it have been that simple the last time?" Piper demanded furiously as Prue laughed.

The demons, seeing their last figurehead going, were panicking and fleeing, hurrying for the doors to get past the enchantments and they'd didn't even seem interested in fighting much anymore.

"Barbas." Prue growled, and the Demon of Fear turned to them just as he was about to try and smoke out.

"Oh no." He said.

"Yeah...your greatest fear is about to come true." She said and blasted him into a wall, away from the escape route he was trying to take.

Piper raised her hands to blast him, but another spell appeared in her hand.

"You might like that one!" Chris called as he electrocuted several more demons.

Barbas looked up at them in fear, and Paige smiled as she figured out what his deepest fear really was: the Charmed Ones being able to vanquish him easily.

"_We call upon the power of four_

_To cast fear down through death's door_

_Vanquish this eternal evil whom we abhor_

_Take fear from here he shall live no more_!"

Barbas gave a horrified scream as he exploded into a thousand fragments.

"Hmm...I like the power of four!" Paige said happily.

"About time we had an easy way to vanquish his ass." Piper said cheerfully, as they turned to face the demons that were scurrying away from the battle.

"That's it laddies! Get them!" Riley yelled, and the entire army surged forward, falling on more demons vanquishing more and more as they fled.

"You know, I was worried at the start of this but now it's really quite fun!" Darryl said as he flung an athame into a retreating demon.

"Definitely. Good way to relieve stress!" Victor called, grinning widely.

"Oh I've not had this much fun in years!" Grams said, casting several demons down as more fled from the battle.

"Oh, oh! I need a pen, pen!" Prue cried, and Paige orbed one to her.

"Thanks sis." She said and hastily began scribbling a spell.

"Prue?" Piper asked hesitantly.

"Every time the Source knocked me back I would console myself thinking up this spell which if I took control long enough would hopefully at least wipe out some of his demons, but I reckon with the power of four behind it..."

"We can finish this lot off." Phoebe finished happily.

Prue finished and the four sisters stood together.

"_Haven of darkness your end is night_

_It's time to end the evil of the other side_

_Witches, elders, creatures all, _

_Your powers we strengthen with this call_

_Vanquish this place from thought and mind_

_And the dominance of good to us forever bind_!"

At first nothing happened. Then a golden light emerged from Prue's body, making her the bottom point of one of the three arms of the triquetra. The same thing happened with Paige and Phoebe, so that a golden triquetra was formed around the three of them. A golden beam then left Piper and formed a circle, interconnecting the three arms and making the symbol of the Charmed Ones.

"What the?" Paige asked, and Prue looked at in amazement.

The triquetra then shot up into the air and began to rotate, it's golden light getting brighter and brighter as energy streamed from all the magical beings present. Another triquetra then embossed onto the original one, coming from the three kids, and the triquetra began twirling and whirling, the light getting brighter and brighter, and the demons began screaming in terror.

The triquetra then exploded, and terrific golden light then blazed out over the entire room, vanquishing any demon it touched. Walls collapsed and the floor and ceiling disintegrated as such a powerful blast of light blew through the entire underworld, vanquishing any demon in its way. Wyatt was using his shield to defend Cole, who was looking at the blast in wonder as it travelled outwards, and a few seconds later, the radiance calmed and the good forces were standing on a free floating hunk of rock, and below them were more destroyed caverns, and above was crumbling rock.

"Wow..." Sandra said, suitably impressed as everyone looked around in amazement.

Prue then gave out a cheer and hugged her three sisters to her.

"Oh thank you! You saved me and now they're finished! I owe it all to my three," she cheered, kissing Piper's forehead, "beautiful," she kissed Phoebe's forehead, "sisters!" she cried happily, and kissed Paige's forehead too.

Cheers then went up and Leo rushed to Piper and locked her in a deep kiss, as Coop did with Phoebe and Henry did with Paige. Wyatt happily hugged Chris and Melinda to him, while Grams, Patty and Victor came over and hugged Prue, while Kevin swept Billie off her feet and kissed her. Odin then began to cheer and whistles went up, along with cries of celebration as everyone celebrated the end of the war, the end of the Source and the Triad and the end of the fighting for at least a little while. Sandra was jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten, Darryl was cheering and whistling loudly as everyone celebrated and the Halliwell family came together. Cole hugged Elise happily as they walked over to join them.

"You guys have just...just wiped out the Washington of the underworld. Something makes me think that you're going to be left alone for a very long time." Cole said happily.

"Oh this is marvellous. And the other Elders are already returning to the heavens, the Darklighters have fled! You did it, you won!" Sandra cried and to his great surprise hugged Odin happily.

"Welcome home Prue." Piper said and hugged her sister.

"Thanks Piper. And you Phoebe. And you Paige. Sorry for being all Sourcy." She said sheepishly as she hugged her sisters.

"Ah don't worry about it, we've all been worse." Paige said happily and hugged her newfound big sister.

"But it still took you long enough." Prue said, sticking her tongue out.

"Watch it you. We were busy fretting about my kidnapped kids for a lot of it remember?" Piper said, grinning, and Prue hugged her two nephews and her niece.

"Sorry..." she said.

"Aw, it's ok aunt Prue. Grandpa says it builds character." Chris said, grinning at his laughing grandpa.

"Thanks guys." Prue said happily.

"Anything to get you back sis." Piper said contentedly, as she hugged her adult children.

"Well what do you say we go and celebrate? It is P3's last night after all." Leo said with a grin.

"P3's last night? Hello, excuse me, what?" Prue demanded.

"Oh Prue...not now. We've got a party to have." Piper said, and it was with a great cheer that everyone departed the underworld, stripped of many of it's inhabitants and much of its power in a massive glowing blue light.

XX

Several rocks moved, and something with human form emerged from behind them. His eyes were a deep, glowing, violent red, and his body seemed to be made up of a tornado, held together by a thin lining. A long snout with several white fangs marked his mouth.

He looked at his body and the devastation that had been wrought on the underworld and snarled. He then turned sharply to his right as more rocks moved and a woman clad all in black, with a red cowl over her face and bright purple eyes moved out from behind them. She smiled at him and bowed.

"Greetings Tornavax." She said.

Tornavax inclined his head and with a small sort of shiver, he became a human with long black hair, a black goatee and clad in black robes and a black cape.

"Greetings Phia. It has been too long." He said in his deep cultured voice.

"That it has my lord." She said, then looked in distaste at what had been wrought.

"Not a pretty sight is it? The Charmed Ones doing of course...aided and abetted by the incompetence of the Triad." He sneered.

"Fools. But you Tornavax are not a fool, as we both well know. The Source is gone, so you cannot get your revenge, and Zankou is gone, so I cannot get mine. But together...we may be able to avenge this great defeat." She said in her silky purr of a voice.

Tornavax looked at the seer curiously.

"What do you suggest Phia?" he asked, intrigued.

"We cannot get the Charmed Ones now they are too powerful. But one day we may be able to get our revenge on them by preying on their brats. I was once prepared to help you become the Source. I am willing to do so again. We will have our revenge, I can promise you that." She said, her violet eyes alight with malice.

Tornavax smiled.

"I like it. Very well Phia, you have a deal. For now, we hide. But one day...one day the Charmed Ones shall rue what happened here." He vowed, and began to laugh, and Phia's cackle soon joined in.

XX

P3 was full of magical beings of every sort, and all were celebrating. Leo had orbed a lot of drink and food from the restaurant and everyone was enjoying the party as a victory celebration and also a farewell to the club. Prue had been mercifully returned to normal, and Piper had given her some clothes to borrow, and she had been eagerly chatting to her sisters, their husbands and her nephews and niece. People sang and danced, as they celebrated this final victory over the darkness. The Ultimate Battle had truly been fought this time, and this time, it had been won for good by a landslide.

Everyone in the family sang, with all four of the sisters even singing together as Wyatt used his hologram power to show the celebrations up in the heavens, in the realm of the leprechauns and other such magic associated places, even in magic school as everyone celebrated the news of the Source's defeat and Prue's redemption.

"To the power of four!" Grams cried and the extended family chinked their glasses together many hours later after many of the magical beings had gone home.

"The power of four!" they all cried happily.

"Oh I can't believe this night will have to end, mom and I will have to go back to where we came from, Prue will need to go back up there, the kids will need to go back to the future..." Patty said.

"Well...that's not necessarily true." Sandra said with a smile as she approached, followed by a hiccoughing Odin.

Billie looked at Kevin, who shrugged.

"Well, while Penny and Patty will have to go back to where they came from...and the kids will need to go back to the future..."

"Damn right we do. We have incentives to go back." Wyatt said, and didn't look remotely abashed as his mother looked at him in surprise.

"Oh really? What sort of incentives?" she demanded, and Leo grinned.

"And you moaned at me for getting protective of Melinda." He teased and she shot him a dirty look while the others laughed.

"Never you mind, let's just say all three of us have one." Chris said with a grin, and Melinda laughed at the surprised and also slightly scary look on their mother's face.

"Moving on from that...we have decided to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity." Sandra said, smiling.

"Oh dear that doesn't sound good." Paige said worriedly, as she leaned against Henry.

"Oh don't worry...it is." Sandra said, and whistled.

The Angel of Death and the Angel of Destiny then appeared, and Prue scuttled behind her sister.

"What? Prue, you were the Source for goodness sake!" Phoebe said with a laugh.

"Yes, and now I'm just a Charmed One. I stole their powers, so they might be slightly cross with me, so just...just stay there in front of me for protection ok?" Prue asked brightly and Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"You better not be here to take anyone, please don't be here to take anyone." Piper said as she held baby Chris close to her.

"No Piper. We are not here to take anyone. We are here with an offer." Death said.

"A unique offer." Destiny said with a smile, happy with the way things had played out.

"Ok, what is this offer?" Kevin asked, slightly irked that he hadn't been included on it, though he had a shrewd suspicion he knew what it was.

Sandra beamed.

"As a reward for winning the Ultimate Battle, the real one this time at any rate, as a thank you for saving all of from death and darkness, as a consolation for everything we've put you through for the last nine years and as an apology for everything we've done to make your lives more difficult...we have agreed to allow you to keep Prue."

Prue's eyes widened, as did everyone else's as what Sandra said sunk in.

"Keep her? You mean, she doesn't have to be dead anymore?" Paige asked in excitement.

Everyone seemed to be hanging on the Elder's every second, as if it could be their last. She then smiled broadly and nodded.

"Yes. Prue, if she accepts, will return to life, and no longer be dead. If she so wishes of course."

Prue looked at her three sisters, their beaming husbands, and she knew their answer. Even with being the Source...they were still a family.

"Of...of...of course!" Prue said ecstatically, and her sisters cheered and hugged her, and the entire family clustered around, hugging Prue.

"However...there is one condition." Death said gravely, though there was a strange sort of twinkle in his eye.

"A condition?" Leo asked suspiciously.

"Prue must try to rekindle her romance with her one true love...and see where it leads." Destiny said elusively.

"Well who wouldn't, but I don't have a true love anymore." Prue said, slightly put out.

"Not yet you don't." Destiny said, and nodded to Death, who clicked his fingers.

And a transparent Andy, who had been collected by death and had the situation explained to him hours before, materialised before them, looking confused.

"Prue! Are you still evil?" he asked worriedly.

"No...Andy..." she said, and with that she ran to her transparent one true love, as if longing to kiss him, and his face split into a wide grin.

"What is your answer?" Destiny asked, although she already knew.

"YES!" everyone cried.

"Very well. So shall it be." Destiny said, and with a nod, Andy returned to corporeal form and gathered Prue up in his arms and kissed her passionately, to cheers and whistles from everyone else.

"Good luck. Until we meet again." Death said, and disappeared.

Prue and Andy finally broke off, and everyone descended upon them, patting backs, kissing cheeks and hugging. Destiny and Sandra smiled happily at the scene as Prue and Andy were reunited, and even better they were reunited with their entire family, with Piper, Leo and the boys, Phoebe, Coop and Prudence, Paige and Henry, Grams and Patty, Elise and Victor, Cole, Darryl and Sheila, and Billie and Kevin. The three adult kids then greeted the other two back as well.

"Well my work here is nearly done. You have done greater than I ever could have imagined. I am very impressed." Destiny said, nodding to them respectively.

"Thank you." Piper said, and baby Wyatt waved at her, making the angel laugh.

"You are quite welcome. However I am not quite done yet. Cole...I have an offer for you." She said, and Cole looked at her curiously.

"What offer?" he asked.

"Well I was so impressed by your actions when you were a temporary angel that I am considering making it permanent. I am offering you a position as Angel of Destiny." She said firmly, and everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Eh, me? I'm Belthazor remember." He said worriedly.

She smiled.

"I know. But you have done just as much as everyone else in this room, and more than some, and have come a very long way, defying all the destinies I laid down for you. You have made quite the impression Cole. What do you say?" she asked curiously.

Cole looked at everyone, who were all smiling.

"Ah what the hell, alright!" he said, and reached out his hand.

Destiny smiled and with a flash he turned into an Angel of Destiny, clad all in purple.

"Ha, you get the dorky costume!" Darryl said, attracting him a disapproving look from Destiny.

"Heh...sorry." he said sheepishly.

"Nice one partner." Andy said, patting his shoulder, and Darryl laughed at hearing the word 'partner'.

"And now I must say goodbye. But first, we must get you two back to where you belong," she said to Grams and Patty, who looked crestfallen, "Oh and there's a thing." Destiny said, conjuring some papers and handing them to Prue and Andy.

"Andy, that is the details of what you have been doing the last years according to everyone else, so read and memorise. Prue, yours is slightly easier, you don't need to know what happened with everything as you've been watching but still...you'll basically be unemployed and homeless for a bit until I deal with the logistics, so bear with me, but soon Andy you will be back where you should be, partnered with Darryl here and with full backdated pay, though you may do something else if you wish, and Prue, you are more difficult...you have been travelling the world taking photographs, but I'm sure there's a free post at 415 magazine if you wish to go for it." Destiny said with a wink.

Prue and Andy looked at each other, overwhelmed, but as they did so, they smiled, and Piper knew that they would be alright.

"Thank you." Andy said.

"You're very welcome."

"And sorry for before." Prue said sheepishly, and Destiny laughed.

"Well where will they stay?" Elise asked in wonder at what was going on.

"Andy can stay with us until things get sorted out, and I won't take no for an answer." Sheila said with a smile, and Andy grinned at her.

"And I'm sure we can find a place for Prue at home." Piper said, and Prue hugged her.

"Oh thank you, my brilliant little sister!"

"Yeah yeah." Piper said in amusement.

"Give it a while, things will balance out eventually. Now I will leave you to say your goodbyes." Destiny said, and stepped back.

"Bye Grams." Piper said as she and her sisters hugged her.

"Oh I'm so proud of all four of you...be safe my darlings." She said happily admiring her four granddaughters, the four Charmed Ones: Prue, Phoebe and Paige the various parts of the whole, and Piper the powerful part that bound them together.

"I'm so glad I have three such lovely grandkids. And another." Patty said, kissing Prudence, then hugging Piper's adult kids.

"Bye grandma." Melinda said.

Cole hugged Phoebe.

"Bye Cole. Thank you...for everything." She said, and he smiled.

"That's alright." He said simply and both of them shared a look, knowing that for one they were parting on good terms.

"Thanks for betraying me Cole." Prue said happily shaking his hand.

"No worries." He laughed.

"You know Cole, for a demon...you're not half bad, especially now you've been promoted to angel." Darryl said, and they shook hands.

"Thanks." He said, and headed over with Grams, Patty and Destiny.

"Enjoy yourselves. Have fun and make the most of things. You've certainly earned it." Destiny said.

"Goodbye my darlings." Grams said happily.

"Goodbye my beautiful girls." Patty said, then ran and kissed Victor, who looked at her in surprise as she ran back to Destiny, while Grams rolled her eyes.

"Oh by the way...whatever Prue had decided wouldn't have affected you and Leo's," Cole said to Piper, "or you and Henry's," he said to Paige, "personal destinies." He said with an enigmatic wink, and with a golden flash, all four of them were gone.

Prue then looked at Phoebe, her face shining in excitement.

"Don't you get it?" she asked excitedly.

Phoebe's eyes widened in delight.

"I get it, do they get it?" she asked, appearing as if she was hyperactive.

"Get what?" Paige asked in confusion just as it dawned on Piper.

"We're pregnant!" she exclaimed, and Prue and Phoebe hugged their sisters.

"Pregnant? Who's pregnant? I'm pregnant?" Paige cried, mimicking Piper from nearly four years before.

"Pregnant? I'm going to be a daddy!" Henry exclaimed weakly, then kissed his wife as everyone descended on them.

"We're pregnant with Melinda...and we'd thought we'd missed your conception date!" Piper said, hugging her daughter.

"Course not." She said happily.

"And now we need to get back. There's someone with my name on them waiting for me." Wyatt said with a wink.

"Oh brother..." Chris said in amusement as he hugged Prue.

"These are Piper's kids?" Andy asked in amazement.

"Yep. They're so handsome." Prue said proudly to Chris and Wyatt.

"And beautiful." Leo said, earning him a smile from his daughter.

"So how do you get them back?" Elise asked curiously as she hugged Wyatt.

"Grams' spell." Piper said, and the four sisters stood looking at the kids proudly.

"Bye mom." They said happily, tears in their eyes as they stood before their family.

"_A time for everything_

_And to everything it's place_

_Return what has been moved_

_Through time and space_."

And with a last wave from the kids, they were gone, leaving only the extended family in the club.

"Goodbye. Until later." Sandra said, conjuring a few fireworks that started going off.

She then grabbed Odin, who was still looking vaguely away with the goalie, winked at Kevin and orbed off.

"Everyone together again." Piper said happily, patting her stomach and lifting Chris up.

"Home my dear?" Leo asked, extending his hand as he picked up Wyatt.

"Definitely. I'm pooped. Come on sis. You and your resurrected lover boy can see where things lead tomorrow." Piper said in amusement.

Prue grinned and kissed Andy passionately, before going over to Piper.

"Night Prue." Phoebe said, hugging her big sister.

"Night Pheebs." She said, then kissed her niece goodnight.

"Well Prue we have a lot of catching up to do." Paige said happily, eager to get to know her big sister.

"That we do. And as I have no clothes...shopping tomorrow?" Prue asked hesitantly, and Paige smiled.

"Sure!"

Prue then hugged her little sister.

"And will someone please tell me what I've missed...?" Andy asked.

"Sure we will. But tomorrow yeah? It's all right for you, sitting up there on your lofty perch, but we've been fighting down here!" Darryl said.

"And dying." Sheila said in disapproval.

"Yes dear. Leo, can you?" Darryl asked, and Leo nodded, orbing them home, just as Andy grinned at Prue.

"How come you still have your powers?" Coop asked.

"I asked Sandra earlier and she decided that I should keep them around...she seems to think this four get into a lot of trouble, can't imagine where she'd get that impression..." he said, winking at his wife.

"I will see you later." Victor promised, hugging his daughters.

"Oh I tell you we can both do with a week off." Elise said as she hugged Phoebe.

"Ha, I'm still on maternity leave!" she said triumphantly.

"Good. Means you can come back to work on time." Elise said with a smile, and she waved as Coop teleported her home, and Victor waved at his family as Kevin orbed him home.

He then turned to Billie.

"Ever done it on a cloud?" he asked coyly.

"Kevin!" Billie protested as he orbed them out, leaving the four sisters, the three husbands and the three kids.

"Night guys. We all have a lot of catching up to do." Phoebe said, as Coop teleported her, Prudence and himself out of there, waving as he did so.

"Yes, on sleep first of all. See you later big sister." Paige said happily.

"Bye Prue." Henry said with a laugh as she orbed them out.

"Ooh sleep...I'd forgotten what that is. Being the Source doesn't do much for your complexion." Prue commented, and Leo laughed.

"It hasn't done much for my son's either. And I'm warning you, if they wake up with nightmares, you're getting them. Lots of free babysitting coming out way honey while she works off her debt of having been the Source." Piper said teasingly, and Prue gently smacked her on the arm as Leo orbed them to the manor.

Prue took a good look around at the manor, her home, the place that, under the Source's influence she had been trying to destroy. No more. Now it was time to atone, heal and get to know her family again.

"Coming Prue?" Leo asked as he and Piper headed to the stairs with the boys.

"In a bit." She said happily, and Piper nodded as she and Leo headed up the stairs with the boys in tow.

A new sister to get to know, two sisters to catch up with, two brothers-in-law to get to know and a romance to rekindle with Andy, along with a relationship with her nephews and her niece to being. Being alive again did have its perks.

From above, there was a yelp of pain as Leo apparently stubbed his toe on something.

"Asshole..." Chris said helpfully.

"Prue!" Piper yelled irritably and Prue couldn't help but laugh.

Well being alive did have its perks...it also had its downsides, such as a swearing nephew of two and half and an irate mother of said child. Ah well. At least she was alive for Piper to be irate at.

She was home again.

She headed for the stairs, and saw that the door was open. Happily, she used her powers, and the door slammed shut.

**And so we reach the end of Charmed Season Nine!**

**I hope you enjoyed the story, I certainly enjoyed wiritng it. Prue and Andy are alive once more, Cole is an Angel of Destiny (who'd have thought huh?), and Paige and Piper are pregnant. Kevin and Billie are together, and all is well once again.**

**Aside from Tornavax and Phia that is. But don't worry, the sisters wont have to worry about them for a very long time...perhaps they will be a threat by the time Wyatt, Chris and Melinda come into their destiny... ;)**

**But until such a time as that, this is the end of Charmed!**

**As I said, I hoped you enjoyed it, I'll be back onto Reocvery tomorrow, and until I'm back with Charmed...please read and review!**

**Bye for now and thanks for reading!**


End file.
